


The Informant and the Wolf

by QueenOfAwesome (TheFabRosevest)



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: M/M, Mates, Werewolf!Shizuo, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-01-30 17:58:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 38,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12658575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFabRosevest/pseuds/QueenOfAwesome
Summary: It had always been like that. No one knew why or how they managed to survive but ever since Izaya could remember, wolves had roamed the city of Tokyo. They mostly came out at night but on some rare occasions they would show up during the day.Of course, since people were scared and confused, they started coming up with rumours every once in a while.“They are the guard dogs of the Awakusu and kill their enemies.”“They are ghosts of the dead that can't seem to leave this world.”“They bring luck to those they have mercy on.”Those were only the most recent ones. But with large wolves roaming the city mostly at night, it was normal for some people to come up with another, rather creative explanation.“They are werewolves!”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So after the Wonderland fic I had a few ideas for a new one already but after being busy for a while, I just didn't feel like using them any more.   
> And since I read a few Vampire!Izaya fics lately, I realised that there aren't many Werewolf!Shizuo ones. At least no multi chapter ones so I'd like to fill that void.   
> More tags are going to be added later and I think about adding some mate stuff, if you know what I mean ;)  
> So tell me what you think and if I should continue :D You can also offer a few idea or scenes you'd like to read about.   
> So have fun with Chapter 1

_“Last night at around 11 pm, a man was attacked and brutally wounded in downtown Ikebukuro. He suffered several bite marks and scratches which lead to the conclusion of another wolf attack. He is getting treatment in the hospital right now and refuses to talk to the police about the matter.”_

 

Izaya rolled his eyes and reached for the remote to change the channel.

“Another wolf attack? This is getting ridiculous.” He mumbled and stretched his arms, letting them fall onto the back rest of the couch as he looked over his shoulder at his assistant, who was typing away on her computer.

“Don't you think it's rather suspicious that more and more of those attacks occur depending on the time of month?” He asked with narrowed eyes.

Namie simply kept typing and let out a sigh. “Of course you would happen to come up with something like that.”

Izaya pushed himself off the couch and slowly walked over to her. “It's interesting. I mean wolves have always been a part of this city but back in the day, they usually didn't attack people. At least not that often.” He pointed out before shrugging and letting a small smile show on his face as Namie still didn't seem to care. “Whatever. I'm going out.”

Izaya sauntered over to the door and grabbed his jacket.

“Are you sure that's a good idea?”

When his assistant spoke, he narrowed his eyes briefly and finished adjusting his fur-trimmed hood before letting out a cold laugh.

“Some might say you worry about me.” He purred and reached for the doorknob, not opening the door just yet.

Namie had stopped typing and turned in her chair to face him, her face lacking emotion as usual.

“I am by no means worried about you but since you pay me it would be rather unfortunate to hear of your death.” She explained before turning around again.

“That's the kind of devotion I want to see.” Izaya laughed and opened the door. “You forget that I'm not just some thug on the street and I sure am smarter than a bunch of stupid dogs.” He stepped outside but turned to look inside once more. “Oh and by the way, when you're finished with that you can go home. I don't have any more work for today.”

And with that Izaya shut the door and left the building to find himself some entertainment on the streets of his city.

 

~ ~ ~

 

It had always been like that. No one knew why or how they managed to survive but ever since Izaya could remember, wolves had roamed the city of Tokyo. They mostly came out at night but on some rare occasions they would show up during the day.

Of course, since people were scared and confused, they started coming up with rumours every once in a while.

“They are the guard dogs of the Awakusu and kill their enemies.”

“They are ghosts of the dead that can't seem to leave this world.”

“They bring luck to those they have mercy on.”

Those were only the most recent ones. But with large wolves roaming the city mostly at night, it was normal for some people to come up with another, rather creative explanation.

“They are werewolves!”

Izaya had never really believed in stuff like that but since he had started to follow the pattern of people getting attacked by the animals, he found himself thinking about it every once in a while.

In the end, the conclusion was always the same.

Why would someone be able to turn into a wolf only because it's a full moon? In his mind, it just didn't make sense.

How would it work? Was it magic or a medical condition that changed the body because of the slight pull that special moon phase offered?

No, werewolves were mythical creatures that could only be found in fiction. He was sure of it.

Izaya had been skipping around the city for about an hour already when his phone buzzed in his pocket. With a slight smirk, he pulled it out to see that it was a new entryt in the Dollars forum.

'Who else is enjoying the full moon tonight? :D' It read.

The informant frowned and looked up at the sky. Sure enough, a mass of clouds moved out of the way to reveal the moon in all its glory. It almost blinded him and his thoughts were about to stray back to the mystery concerning the city's wolf problem, when a voice caught his attention.

“Hey! You!”

Izaya turned around just in time to see three middle-aged men walk towards him. They were mostly dressed in black and their faces looked dirty.

Izaya simply put his phone away again and raised his eyebrows at the three. “How can I help the gentlemen?”

They looked at each other briefly as they stopped in front of him.

“You're Izaya Orihara, right?” One of them asked. He seemed to be the leader since the other two made sure to keep their distance.

The raven narrowed his eyes as he tried to come up with one of the gangs the city had to offer. Were they part of one of those? Probably not. Otherwise they would show it off proudly.

And so his interest was peaked and he decided to play along.

“You're right about that.” He said and smiled wickedly.

The men exchanged looks once again and the leader stepped closer, intruding Izaya's personal space. He refused to step back though as it would show how uncomfortable it made him feel.

“We heard you know quite a lot about the Awakusu.” The man laughed. “We want some information.”

The informant searched his face for a second before letting out a brief laugh himself, making them frown.

“I'm sorry but you don't seem like you have the amount of cash needed for that kind of information. You see, I might not be on anyone's side in particular but I'm still not very fond of the idea that the city's most feared criminal organisation might come after me for spilling a few of their secrets.” He explained while shaking his head.

When the men didn't react at first and just glared down at him, Izaya slowly took a few steps back, hoping they would simply accept it and go find someone else to fuck with.

“Yeah, we didn't plan on paying for it anyway.” The leader said and reached into his pocket, revealing a gun. He tightened his grip around it and raised it so Izaya was looking right at it. “Why don't you just tell us what you know and we let you go.”

The raven looked at the weapon in his hand with a rather bored expression when in reality his heard was pounding in his chest as if ready to burst. Sure, he was used to people coming after him for information but it didn't happen every day that they pointed a gun right at his face.

Despite the adrenaline rushing through his veins, he made sure to seem calm as he reached into his pocket himself, taking hold of his flick-knife.

“Listen gentlemen, I think we can come up with a compromise.” He cautioned but the man holding the gun simply stepped closer until the weapon was mere centimetres away from his forehead.

“Fuck off. Just give us the information and I might think about not pulling the trigger.”

Izaya was about to turn around and run when a low growl let all of them freeze.

Great, a group of thugs and a wolf.

Once he was sure he wouldn't get shot right away, he risked turning his head and sure enough there was a huge brown wolf standing in the middle of the abandoned road. It was staring right at them, growling and showing its sharp canines. Its eyes seemed to glow in the dark and Izaya couldn't help but stare at the honey orbs.

“The fuck?!” One of the men gasped and stumbled back. The leader was still holding the gun but his hand had started shaking.

Izaya flinched when the weapon was suddenly pushing against his temple and he shut his eyes.

“Do you have a fucking guard dog?!” The man yelled and the raven could smell his foul breath, making him scrunch up his face in disgust.

Before he could even think about giving an answer, the pressure was gone again and he could hear the men scream in terror as they ran away.

There was another loud growl, closer this time.

Izaya was frozen in place and still refused to open his eyes, even as the noise stopped.

Surely, the wolf would still be there. Why wasn't it attacking him? Maybe it ran after the men?

He would never admit it to anyone but dogs already scared him shitless. Wolves were only larger, untamed dogs. They were even more unpredictable than their pet relatives.

Izaya waited.

Seconds turned into minutes and when nothing happened, he finally forced himself to open his eyes, only to jump back in fear at the sight.

The wolf sat right in front of him, watching his every move. It looked calm at first but its ears were twitching slightly, aware of every noise.

It had looked huge from afar but up close it was a real monster. Even in its sitting position it almost reached Izaya's shoulders.

The informant kept stepping back until his back hit a nearby wall.

Why was it staring at him like that? Would it attack soon? Maybe it wanted to play with its prey.

Suddenly, the animal got up and slowly moved closer to Izaya, who could only stare at it with wide eyes.

Was that blood around its mouth?

Everything seemed to slow down around him, almost as if happening in slow motion and the informant felt his legs shake beneath him until they refused to hold him up any longer. He slid down to his knees and looked up at the wolf in front of him.

The creature licked its snout a few times before leaning in, its nose almost touching the raven's forehead as it seemed to sniff him.

Izaya couldn't hold back the pathetic whine that escaped him. The sound made the wolf draw back and it kept staring at him for a few seconds before its ears fell flat against its head and it started to growl again.

The raven flinched and slowly raised his open palms in front of his face while lowering his head, hoping for the wolf to accept it as surrender.

He would never submit to anyone, but this creature had no thoughts, no reason behind its actions. The only thing there was, was the raw instinct of a hunter.

Izaya waited and soon the wolf stopped growling and stepped back, making the informant raise his head slowly and watch the animal.

Once he was sure it had calmed down, Izaya carefully started to push himself up to his feet again. The creature simply watched him as he got up and slowly moved away from the wall.

It still didn't move and so the raven decided it was safe to leave. At first he stepped backwards slowly, his eyes never leaving the predator but when he was sure it wouldn't attack him, he turned around and started running.

Izaya refused to look back in case it was following.

His mind started to run wild with a million thoughts.

Why hadn't it attacked him? It did scare off those thugs. Did it maybe protect him?

No, a mindless creature wouldn't do something like that.

Right?

 

~ ~ ~

 

It didn't take him long to arrive in Shinjuku and once he did, he finally allowed himself to slow down and relax. Izaya held onto a lamp post and took a few deep breaths.

His breathing calmed down slowly, followed by his heartbeat.

Eventually he started walking again. Only a few more minutes and then he would be back at home where he could simply crawl into bed and forget all about it.

A chuckle escaped him at the thought but he froze when he heard a noise behind him and whirled around.

That wolf.

It had followed him, standing in the middle of the road again, watching him.

“What the hell?” Izaya mumbled to himself and narrowed his eyes.

The animal's ears twitched as it moved closer to him and for some reason the informant didn't feel the same fear as before. The wolf had let him go willingly. Why?

The creature reached him and sat down, those honey eyes watching him almost patiently.

Izaya frowned and took a step back. It didn't react and still refused to look away.

“This is stupid.” The raven groaned and turned around to start walking again. When he heard paws hitting the pavement behind him he looked over his shoulder. The wolf was following him.

“No” Izaya sighed and stopped once again, turning around to face it again. The animal stopped as well and tilted its head to the side. “Stay” He tried and held out his palm before slowly stepping back.

The wolf let out a breath which almost sounded like a huff as it started following again.

“Stop it!” Izaya hissed. “You dumb creature!”

The animal did react to that however by letting out a growl. Izaya flinched but kept stepping back. When the wolf simply kept following without making a move to attack him, the raven turned and started running again.

Maybe he could reach his home before the wolf caught up with him. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the animal was sprinting after him.

“Shit!” He whined and rounded a corner, his apartment building coming into view.

Izaya tried to keep the tempo as he rushed towards it, already fumbling with the keys in his pocket to find the right one.

Once he stopped in front of the building, he pulled his keys out and groaned when they fell to the ground due to his shaking hands.

The noise of paws on cement came closer as he crouched down to pick them up, searching for the right key again and quickly pushing it into the lock.

He pushed the door open, rushed inside and tried to shut it when the wolf's head pushed through the small opening.

“Hey! No! Go away already!” Izaya hissed and reached out to push at its head before thinking about it.

To his surprise, it didn't snap at him or even growl. All it did was look up at him as it slowly pushed the door open again. Izaya stepped back with its movement, his hand still resting on its head.

Its fut was softer than he had imagined it to be and he almost found himself starting to stroke it when he realised what was happening.

After pulling his hand away, he turned and rushed up the stairs to his apartment, quickly opening the door and rushing inside. Once it shut behind him, he let out a deep breath as he leaned against it, trying to calm down.

Eventually he stepped further inside and threw his jacket into a corner as he turned to face the door. Should he call someone? The wolf was still inside the building, right?

He was about to get his phone out and call the landlord, when he heard a noise.

It wasn't a growl this time.

It sounded more like a whine.

Izaya frowned and dropped his hand, staring at the door. When a scratching sound added to it, the informant groaned and stepped closer again.

Whatever the reason, the wolf wanted to come inside.

“Go away.” Izaya said loudly, even though he knew the animal couldn't understand him.

The whining got louder and the scratching more intense. Well, ignoring it wasn't an option. That thing would wake up everyone in the building.

Before he could think about the consequences, Izaya reached for the doorknob and pulled the door open again.

The wolf rushed past him immediately, pushing him aside in the process so the informant fell back, landing on his butt.

Pain rushed through him at the impact and he gasped.

“You stupid animal.” He mumbled and looked up but the wolf was nowhere to be found.

Slowly, Izaya got up again and closed the door before going around to search for the beast.

“Hey!” He called but there was no huge animal in his living room. He peeked into the kitchen before looking up at the stairs that lead to his bedroom. “What did I do to deserve this?”

After stomping across the room, he climbed the stairs. Once he reached the top, his eyes widened in shock at the sight in front of him.

The wolf was lying on his bed, its head laid out between its paws and with an innocent look in its eyes.

“Hell no!” Izaya yelled as he walked closer. “I have no idea what your problem is but you are getting out of my bed right now!”

The wolf simply huffed and shut its eyes, which made Izaya even more furious. He glared down at it as he climbed onto the bed as well. He crawled closer to the wolf on his knees and hesitated briefly before pushing against its side, trying to push it off.

Of course, it didn't move and Izaya wasn't strong enough to move it. After a few minutes of pointless pushing, he gave up and slumped down onto the mattress.

“This is stupid. I should call animal control on you.” He mumbled while staring up at the ceiling.

Soon, the mattress started to move underneath him and a large head appeared in his vision. Izaya glanced at it. Those honey orbs still seemed to glow in the barely lit bedroom and eventually he found himself reaching out to touch the wolf's soft fur again, rubbing between its ears mindlessly.

Izaya had never been an animal person. He didn't hate them. He just didn't think they were interesting as their way of thinking and their actions were rather simple. They didn't entertain him at all.

This wolf though?

He had no idea why it acted the way it did.

Usually wolves were quite aggressive and territorial. Why one had saved him and followed him home was beyond him. Izaya only knew that he wouldn't get rid of it, at least for the night.

“You're a stubborn one, huh?” He asked and found himself smiling slightly as the animal laid its ears back and leaned into his touch. “Did you really save me?”

The wolf blinked at him and moved even closer and soon a wet nose touched his cheek, making him flinch. “That's disgusting! Ew!”

The wolf moved back again and huffed before lying down again. Its form occupied most of the bed, much to Izaya's annoyance. He wasn't able to pull the covers out from under it either so he just groaned and laid back again, staring up at the ceiling once again.

“I'm definitely going to call animal control.” He mumbled and rolled over onto his side, a few of the soft hairs making his nose tingle. “Tomorrow”

Even though he was still wearing his street clothes and shoes and wasn't even under the covers, Izaya felt his eyelids grow heavy and soon they fell shut.

The wolf's breathing was even and almost calming. It also seemed to radiate heat like crazy, which made him move a bit closer.

At least he was sure that the wolf wouldn't hurt him in any way and maybe it was a good idea to get a guard dog.

A chuckle escaped him at the thought. No one would dare to mess with him.

He would consider it in the morning.

Yeah, in the morning.

After he slept.

Sleep sounded good.

And so he fell into the sweet nothingness of sleep while his face was almost buried in the soft fur of his companion and its heat surrounded him way better than his covers ever could.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Everything was warm.

Almost a bit too warm.

It took Izaya a few minutes after waking up to remember the events from the previous night.

Right.

The wolf.

He had fallen asleep with the animal in his bed.

The informant was lying on his side, half on top of...something.

He moved his hand over it slightly and froze.

That wasn't fur.

It felt more like skin.

Human skin.

What?!

Izaya opened his eyes in shock and the first thing he saw was a very human and male chest that he was resting on.

His mind seemed to shut down for a second as his eyes moved down the toned and also naked body underneath him. He swallowed nervously as he dared to raise his head to look at the man's face.

His eyes widened.

He knew that face.

He knew that face very well.

Izaya jerked up into a sitting position and stared at his arch nemesis who was still sleeping peacefully.

“What the actual fuck?!” He yelled and stumbled off the bed, ending up on his back against the wall as he stared up at the bed where the other let out a groan as he started to wake up.

Shizuo rubbed his eyes and frowned at the sudden noise forcing him out of his slumber. He opened his eyes and blinked up at an unfamiliar ceiling.

Great, where had he ended up this time?

The blond sat up and looked around the room until his eyes fell onto a seemingly frightened informant on the floor.

“Izaya?” He asked in shock as the two stared at each other.

The raven was the first one to break the moment as he rushed forward to reach into his bedside drawer, quickly getting out one of his knifes, flicking it open gracefully and throwing it at the other, aiming at his face.

Shizuo quickly moved out of the way before glaring at the informant. The knife hit the wall behind him, leaving a deep gash in the wallpaper. It fell to the ground, the sound making Izaya flinch and move back against the wall.

“What are you doing in my apartment, Shizu-chan?” He hissed, trying to cover up how nervous he was about the sudden intrusion.

“You tell me, flea.” Shizuo mumbled as he looked down at himself. He groaned and grabbed the covers to wrap around himself.

Izaya narrowed his eyes at that and made a mental note to throw them away once the blond was gone.

“No! I want an explanation right now! What are you doing here and why are you naked?” He spat and slowly got up, crossing his arms as he kept glaring.

Shizuo made sure to cover himself before getting off the bed. He hummed in thought before letting out a dry laugh. “You didn't happen to take a wolf in last night, now did you?”

Izaya blinked at him in confusion. “And what does that have to do with you sleeping in my bed? Naked?”

The debt-collector took in his surroundings and stepped over to the wardrobe. He opened it and looked through the clothes.

“What are you doing? That's my stuff!” The raven whined and slowly moved closer to the other.

“I need something to wear.” Shizuo said simply as he pulled out a pair of jogging pants and a rather big looking old t-shirt.

“Who said you could borrow my stuff? Get out!”

“No”

“You stupid protozoan!”

Shizuo mostly ignored him and put on the clothes. The pants were way too short, barely reaching down to his ankles, and the shirt was a bit too tight. Once he was satisfied he threw the covers back onto the bed and turned to face the raven again.

“So you did take in a wolf, huh?” The blond chuckled. “Never imagined you would be that soft-hearted.”

Izaya felt his cheeks turn red at that and he turned his face away quickly. “That's not it. That dumb animal followed me home.”

Shizuo raised an eyebrow at that. “Oh? It did?”

“Yes. I don't understand what that has to do with you being here though. You better explain this right now or I swear I will make your life a living hell and send every single gang in Tokyo after you.”

The debt-collector looked up at the ceiling and let out a sigh, obviously thinking about whether to tell the other or not.

“Shizu-chan! Now!” Izaya barked, balling his hands into fists at his side.

Eventually Shizuo nodded and lowered his gaze, locking eyes with the raven.

“I'm a werewolf.” He said with a shrug.

Just like that.

Like it was completely normal.

“A...werewolf?” Izaya asked slowly. “Have you finally gone mad?”

The blond blinked at him before simply walking out of the room. “Believe it or not for all I care.” He said quietly as Izaya followed him quickly down the stairs. “That's all I can tell you.”

Shizuo looked around briefly before making his way over to the front door. He checked if he would be able to use a pair of Izaya's shoes but his feet were too big so he decided he would have to go home barefoot.

“Do you really think I'm that naïve?” The informant laughed behind him.

“I told you, believe it or not. I don't give a fuck.”

Izaya crossed his arms and bit his lip. Yes, he had lost a few thoughts to the possibility already but now that he was confronted with it he just refused to actually believe it.

It just couldn't be true, right?

Well, there had been a wolf in his bed the previous night and he had just woken up to Shizuo taking its place.

Maybe...

“So you were that wolf?” He asked just as Shizuo was about to leave.

That made the blond turn around and look at the informant. “Yes”

Izaya nodded and took a deep breath. He really had to swallow his pride here. “So you were the one who saved me from those thugs last night?”

The debt-collector simply shrugged at that. “How would I know? I rarely remember what I do during a full moon.”

“Oh...well, you did. Then you followed me home and managed to get inside my apartment. Or more like, I had to let you in. Otherwise you would've woken everyone with your whining.”

Shizuo remained silent for a few seconds before he started to laugh. “I never said my wolf was very smart.”

“So he's basically the same as you.” Izaya spat with a smirk.

“Whatever, flea. I'm not in the mood for your bullshit at the moment.” Shizuo groaned and opened the door. “I'll return your clothes later.”

“Keep them. Burn them. I don't care. I don't want them back.”

“Fine by me.” The debt-collector mumbled and waved once as he stepped out, the door shutting rather loudly behind him.

Izaya let out a breath and reached up to scratch the back of his head in frustration.

Could he really just believe what the beast had told him? That he was a werewolf?

It would explain a lot.

A lot, but not why the wolf inside Shizuo had followed him home. Hell, it had saved him. Why would it do such a thing? Their hatred ran deep, making him think that even if Shizuo was not himself in his wolf form, the animal would surely attack him on the spot.

Right?

Izaya shook his head and turned to walk into the kitchen and start making coffee. It was still early so he had some time before Namie would show up and mock him. Until then, he had to be himself again.

But he wouldn't be able to simply forget about it.

Shizuo Heiwajima was werewolf.

And he wasn't the only one.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Shizuo left the building and narrowed his eyes at the still rising sun that blinded him. He had to get home quickly and get dressed since he had to meet up with Tom soon.

Tom was one of the few people who actually knew about Shizuo's condition. It had been necessary to tell him after Shizuo had been late for work quite a lot around the full moon phase.

Shizuo groaned as he realised that he had no cigarettes and, obviously, no money to buy some, so he put his hands into the pockets of Izaya's jogging pants and started walking.

When he heard a familiar neigh, Shizuo turned around in time to see Celty stop her motorcycle next to the pavement. She got off and rushed over to him, quickly getting out her PDA to type a message for the blond to read.

[Good morning, Shizuo. Rough night?] She asked and tilted her helmet to the side.

Shizuo groaned and lowered his head. He wished he had his sunglasses to hide behind.

“Yeah, you could say so.”

Besides Tom, Celty knew about his little secret as well. Not because he had told her, but she had been able to sense it somehow. Shizuo had begged her to not tell Shinra though. He was sure that if the underground doctor ever found out, the debt-collector would end up as the guy's newest test object.

[What are you doing here in Shinjuku?] She asked next and Shizuo raised his head again to read it.

“Uh, I woke up here.” He explained slowly, trying to sound casual but failing miserably as his jaw tightened nervously.

Celty looked around before typing again.

[This is Izaya's place.]

The blond merely nodded at that.

[What did he do this time?]

“He didn't do anything.”

Celty's shoulders dropped as she waited for him to explain further but once she realised he wouldn't, she stepped closer to him, trying to come over as reassuring.

[Shizuo, why don't you tell me what happened? It seems like something is bothering you and I still have some time to kill. I have an appointment with Izaya for a job but I'm a bit early. I'm willing to listen.]

Shizuo read it and groaned loudly. He really didn't want to talk about it. Hell, he didn't even want to think about the flea and about what had happened but this was Celty and he just couldn't stand knowing she was worried about him.

“Fine, but first I need to ask a favour of you. Would you mind lending me some money so I can buy a pack of cigarettes? And I need to call Tom.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

After calling Tom to tell him that he wouldn't be able to make it in time for work, or maybe not at all, and buying some cigarettes, they sat on a bench in a nearby park.

Shizuo had asked a man walking by for a lighter and lit his cigarette, quickly taking a few greedy drags from the cancer stick. He exhaled and almost immediately felt himself relax.

Celty watched him and waited for him to finish it. Once he had taken his last drag and dropped the cigarette to the ground, he leaned back and looked at her.

“So, you won't leave me alone until I tell you, huh?” He asked, chuckling slightly.

She shook her helmet and crossed her legs, waiting for him to explain.

“Fine. So apparently I saved Izaya from a group of thugs last night and then followed him home. I woke up in his bed this morning and he freaked out. The bastard threw one of his knives at me. Joke's on him though. He ruined his wallpaper.” He laughed quietly.

Celty started typing.

[Did you tell him?]

“Well, yes. I kinda had to. Or what explanation would you come up with if you woke up to someone who remembers clearly falling asleep next to a giant wolf?”

She nodded and looked at the ground for a while before replying.

[How did he take it? Since you saved him he must be grateful?]

Shizuo huffed and shook his head. He was about to reach for another cigarette when he realised he didn't have a light so he sighed and put it away again.

“I don't know if he even believed me. I don't really care though. It's not like anyone would believe him if he started spreading the rumour.”

[I guess you're right. Still, it might be a start. You two could actually try to get along over this.]

The blond rolled his eyes and got up, stretching his still tired limbs.

“I appreciate the effort but that's not gonna happen. He's still a lying bastard. I don't even know why my wolf followed him home last night if not to kill him.” He said and shrugged.

[Do you think it means something?]

Shizuo raised his eyebrows at that. “Mean what?”

[Well, didn't you explain to me once that the way your wolf acts is based on your mind reduced to its basic instincts. Wouldn't that mean that if it saved Izaya and stayed with him that you didn't want anything to happen to him?] Celty typed quickly, desperate to get her point across.

Shizuo laughed and loudly at that.

“I think it simply protected him to finish him off later.”

[But it didn't. You said Izaya fell asleep next to it. Doesn't seem like very aggressive behaviour to me.]

“Celty, I know you want us to stop fighting but that's not gonna happen anytime soon.”

Her shoulders slumped down in defeat and she shook her head.

[Maybe I'm just being too optimistic. Can you at least promise me to think about it?]

Shizuo leaned down to pat her shoulder. “I will, okay?” He told her with a small smile. “I really should get going though. I do need to meet up with Tom at some point.”

She looked up at him and nodded.

[Alright. Be careful, okay?]

“You too. And remember, not a single word to your beloved doctor about this.” Shizuo reminded her as he started to back away.

Celty got up and nodded, waving briefly before Shizuo turned around and started walking away.

The Dullahan watched him go and tilted her helmet to the side in thought. She had never been a fan of Izaya but them fighting wasn't a thing she was very fond of witnessing. Especially since she was pretty sure it was only some kind of game the two were playing. What Shizuo had told her just reassured her in thinking so.

If Shizuo's wolf had taken a liking to the informant, then maybe Shizuo himself would be able to do the same. Them at least being able to tolerate each other would be a huge benefit for the city and probably Shizuo's mental state.

And maybe Izaya's as well.

As she started walking back towards her bike, an idea started to form and if she had a head, she would smile at the thought.

Maybe she had spent a bit too much time with Shinra.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Celty arrived back at home at around noon. Izaya's job had been a simple delivery.

She had tried to notice a change in the informant but their meeting had been rather short as he quickly handed her an envelope and told her the address.

Celty had thought about asking Izaya about it but had decided against it. They weren't on the best terms and the raven probably wouldn't talk to her about what had happened.

“Celty! You're home!”

The Dullahan looked up. She had just opened the door when she was tackled into a hug by a very excited underground doctor.

She tensed up and got her PDA out.

[Shinra! Calm down!]

He giggled and stepped back to read.

“I'm sorry but every second I don't get to spend with you only makes me more desperate to feel your touch again.”

She froze before punching two fingers underneath his ribs. Shinra gasped and stumbled back.

“Ah! I know that's how you show your love.” He croaked with a forced smile.

Celty shook her helmet before taking it off and walking past him. Shinra recovered rather quickly and followed her into the living room where she plopped down onto the couch.

[I met Shizuo this morning.] She told him and hesitated before continuing. Shizuo would kill her if she told Shinra about him being a werewolf but she could make up a similar story, right?

“Oh? Is he okay?” The underground doctor asked and sat next to her.

[Yes, he's fine. Apparently he saved Izaya from some thugs last night. Don't you think they should finally stop fighting and try to get along? I know it all started in high school so enough time passed, right? They should try to start over.]

Shinra crossed his arms and sighed. “I know you hate to see them fight but they are both so damn stubborn. I doubt you'll be able to talk some sense into them, especially Izaya.”

Celty thought about it for a bit. Would her plan really work?

[I know that talking to them would do no good but what if there was another way to make them get along?]

The other raised his eyebrows at her. “Like what?”

[If they had to spend some time together, do you think they would stop fighting eventually?]

Shinra's eyes widened briefly before a smile appeared on his face. “Don't tell me you're planning to lock them up in a room.”

[No! But I might be able to do something else.]

The underground doctor leaned closer to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “That's my Celty! Always looking out for others! Tell me!”

Celty awkwardly patted his head and started typing again.

[Well...]

 

~ ~ ~

 

Werewolves.

Freaking werewolves.

Izaya tried to forget about it but he kept finding himself thinking about it again.

So many questions ran through his head.

Had Shizuo been like that since he was born or had someone turned him into one? In some books or films, lycanthropy was spread through a bite. Did it work like that? But wouldn't that mean that all of those victims he had heard about on TV, would eventually turn into werewolves themselves?

No, that was probably not how it worked.

Anyway, Shizuo had told him he rarely remembered what he did during a full moon. So the wolf acted on its own, like it had its own mind.

Izaya kept playing with the flick-knife in his pocket mindlessly while he strolled through the city. He had finished all of his appointments for the day and had planned on going to get some take-out from Russia Sushi but as he found himself wandering around Ikebukuro, he stopped and hesitated.

Shizuo was probably working. What if he walked into him?

Nothing had changed between them, right?

He stood in the middle of the pavement. People pushed past him, some mumbling profanities as they did so. Izaya didn't care through. For once his precious humans weren't the only thing on his mind.

Eventually he chuckled and started walking again.

Why was he even nervous? The brute wouldn't change just because of that little incident. He would still start running after Izaya once he spotted him.

As soon as Russia Sushi came into view, the informant smiled. It was late afternoon so Namie would still be there when he got back. He should grab something for her too.

Yes, he would get her the kind she hated, just for his entertainment.

Izaya was about to raise his arm to wave at Simon, who was handing out flyers to some teenagers, when he heard a familiar neigh.

When he looked around briefly, he couldn't spot Celty anywhere though.

Maybe he had simply imagined it.

“Izaya!”

Oh great, there he was.

The informant whirled around just in time to see a certain blond stomp towards him. Surprisingly there wasn't a weapon in his hands. Yet.

“Get out of Ikebukuro!” The debt-collector roared and stopped right in front of the other, their foreheads almost touching.

Izaya put on his usual smirk and shook his head. “Aw, Shizu-chan. I feel honoured to be the reason your emotions go crazy but I'm not here for you today.”

Shizuo was about to open his mouth to reply, when a shadow towered above them. Both looked up in confusion and saw Simon standing next to them.

“Izaya! Shizuo! Good to see you! Come eat sushi instead of fighting. Fighting is no good.” He told them with a smile.

“No, thank you.” Izaya said but the tall man was already pushing him into the direction of the entrance, along with Shizuo.

“Simon, seriously...” The blond started but Simon shook his head as he pushed both inside.

“No, no. You two always fight. Is no good. Eat sushi and be nice.”

He kept pushing until they reached one of the separate rooms in the back of the restaurant. They stumbled inside and while Shizuo simply groaned and seemed to accept his fate, Izaya whirled around to glare at the Russian.

“You can't just push me around like that!” He hissed and moved towards the taller man. “I will not stay in here with that brute.”

He tried to push past Simon, who laughed and shook his head, refusing to step aside.

“I bring sushi, yes? No more fighting, you two.”

And with that he shut the door and left.

Izaya crossed his arms in front of his chest and took a deep breath. All he had to do was wait for Simon to come back with his food so he could grab it and leave. Until then, he would have to play nice.

So he turned around to face Shizuo who was staring at the floor in thought.

He might as well just try to get some more information out of him.

“So I guess I was right all along by calling you a monster, huh?” The raven purred while stepping towards the other.

Shizuo lifted his gaze and huffed.

“I should just knock you out and hope you forget about it.” He mumbled quietly, acting calm when there was still the usual anger inside him. How he was suddenly able to contain himself around the damn flea was beyond him.

“Since we have some time to kill and Simon won't let us out otherwise, why don't you spill some werewolf secrets?” Izaya offered, smiling wickedly.

“I won't tell you anything.”

“Aw, why not? I already know about it. You can't just expect me to ignore it and go on with my life like nothing happened.”

“That's exactly what you should do.”

The informant seemed taken aback at that. That sounded like a warning.

“Are you threatening me, Shizu-chan?”

Shizuo sighed and his jaw tightened.

“For once, I am not. Consider this as the only warning you will get. Do not mess with the werewolf population of this city. They don't like it when humans know about them, especially when said human is a manipulative bastard like you. Just forget about it and you'll probably never come across any of them.”

Izaya narrowed his eyes as he watched the other's face closely but the blond seemed to mean what he was saying.

“And what about those wolf attacks?”

“Gang wars.”

“Gangs? You mean there are werewolf gangs? That's outright ridiculous, Shizu-chan.”

Shizuo groaned and balled his fists. His patience wouldn't last much longer.

“No werewolf gangs. Most gangs in Tokyo are either ran by them or have their own pack inside their ranks. I have no idea if the human members know about it.”

Izaya hummed and nodded as he took in what the debt-collector was saying.

“That makes sense considering monsters like them would act on their wildest instincts.” The raven let out a giggle. “Just like you, Shizu-chan. I bet you're happy. You're not the only monster out there. Isn't that a huge relief?”

The blond let out a low growl and pushed past Izaya.

“That's it. I'm leaving.”

He stomped towards the door and was about to reach out when it suddenly slid open and the next thing he saw was darkness before he passed out.

Izaya was still laughing to himself when he saw Shizuo fall to the floor. It took him a few seconds to realise what was happening but when he reached into his pocket to get one of his flick-knives out, his mind was already fading as well and he slumped to the ground as well.

 

Celty looked down at the two. The sight almost made her forget about her plan but she couldn't back out now.

“I hope what you do is good.” Simon said behind her.

She turned to look at him and quickly typed a message.

[I promise I do this so they will learn to get along.]

The Russian nodded and smiled.

“No more fighting then? Is good. If successful you come eat sushi, yes? Make good price.”

Celty was about to explain to him that she didn't eat, which made his offer a pointless one, but she decided against it and simply nodded.

Simon smiled at her and walked off.

“You do good thing for city. They be nice to each other is good thing for all of us.”

She looked after him, feeling reassured again.

And so she concentrated on the matter at hand, letting shadows flow out of her hand and towards the two.

She wasn't messing with them. At least she tried to tell herself that.

She was simply giving them a little push.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Izaya opened his eyes and shot up into a sitting position, looking around with wide eyes.

What had just happened?

He remembered being at Russia Sushi. Shizuo was there and then...

The informant reached into his pocket and got his phone out to check the time. Not much time had passed. Maybe half an hour.

“What the hell?” He mumbled and flinched when he heard a low grunt nearby. The room was empty so it had to come from outside.

Izaya slowly got up. Surprisingly, he felt fine. Nothing hurt. He wasn't dizzy at all. Weird.

Once by the door, he slid it open to peek into the restaurant. There were a few costumers around. They weren't paying attention to him though.

Eventually his gaze dropped and he frowned when he saw Shizuo sitting on the floor next to the door.

“Shizu-chan?” He asked and the blond looked up at him. “What are you still doing here?” A smirk crossed his face. “Are you trying to protect me again? How adorable.”

The debt-collector rolled his eyes and looked away again. “Shut up, flea.” He groaned. “I wanted to leave right after I woke up.”

Izaya stepped out of the room to stand above the other, grinning down on him. “But?”

“But...” Shizuo started hesitantly. “I wasn't able to.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

The blond sighed and got up, looking down at the informant.

“You try to leave.”

Izaya chuckled but when Shizuo kept watching him with a stern expression, he stopped and nodded.

“Sure, I will.”

And with that he turned and headed for the exit. He only managed a short distance though as he was suddenly pulled to a halt by his hand.

What?

Izaya tried again but it seemed that something was restraining him. He took a step back and looked down at his wrist. There was nothing out of the ordinary but he had just felt the pressure of something wrapped around it.

Once again he tried to move, this time he watched his wrist closely and when he reached the same distance again, a thin black band seemed to appear out of nowhere. It stretched, hanging in the air and as Izaya tried to yank on it, it only seemed to tighten, almost cutting into his skin.

“What is this?” He hissed and raised his head to glare at Shizuo, who was still watching him calmly.

The blond simply raised his own arm and suddenly the same black band appeared.

Izaya's eyes followed it back to his own.

“Wait!” He barked and pulled on it again, looking between himself and Shizuo. “Does this...”

“We're tied together.” The debt-collector grumbled and pushed his sunglasses up with his middle finger. “And no it's not my fault and I don't know how it happened.”

Izaya kept staring at it.

“This is bullshit!” He hissed and reached into his pocket, getting out one of his knives. He flicked it open and pulled on the invisible band again until it appeared. In a try to cut it, he held the sharp blade underneath and attempted to rip it that way but it wouldn't budge.

“What is this even made of?” He whined and kept trying until Shizuo appeared next to him.

The blond watched curiously as the band disappeared as it wasn't being stretched to its limits any more.

“That's not normal. I mean it disappears without a trace.” He said and looked at his wrist.

“I noticed.” The informant barked and stepped back to bring some distance between them. “But who would do something like that?”

Shizuo simply shrugged and pushed his hands into the pockets of his dress pants as he walked past Izaya and towards the exit.

Izaya looked after him and lowered his gaze once the band appeared again. Surprisingly, it didn't pull at him, forcing him to move. It simply stopped both of them from going any further.

“You coming or what?” The blond asked from his place next to the door.

The informant crossed his arms and turned his head away.

“Like I'd go anywhere with you.”

“It's not like you have a choice.”

“I don't care.”

A low growl echoed through the room and before he could react, Izaya was picked up and thrown over the debt-collector's shoulder. It took him a second to realise what was happening but once he did, he started pounding his fists against the taller man's back.

“You put me down right now!” He yelled and struggled like his life depended on it.

Shizuo stepped outside and started walking, eventually reaching up to hold Izaya's legs so they would stop moving.

“We're going to Shinra's.” Shizuo explained but the raven simply ignored him and kept punching his back.

The blond tolerated it for the most part, trying to remain calm. That turned out to be harder than expected as the other started insulting him loudly so that pretty much everyone started staring at them, if they hadn't already been doing so before.

“You stupid beast! Once this is over I will kill you in your sleep!” Izaya hissed, but it sounded more like the bitching of a toddler. Well, a pretty murderous toddler. “I will tell everyone what you are! I will make your life a living hell!”

Shizuo's jaw tightened as he was trying hard to not throw the informant into the next wall. With his free hand he reached into his pocket and got a cigarette out, quickly lighting it and taking a drag.

“Disgusting! I hope smoking kills you! Hopefully sooner than later! I'd love to see that. You gasping for air desperately as...”

Shizuo couldn't take it any more. The cancer stick in his hand gave in and broke in two before falling to the ground. The blond stepped into a small alley and threw the informant to the ground. Izaya gasped at the impact and rubbed his back as he slowly raised his gaze to look up at the other.

“Finally had enough, Shizu-chan?” The raven asked with a smirk and slowly got up again.

Shizuo narrowed his eyes and as soon as Izaya was back on his feet, the debt-collector started stomping towards him.

“Listen, you little shit.” He started, watching Izaya stumble back until his back hit a wall. “This is not my fault and I'm just trying to fix it. You acting like a spoilt brat isn't going to help.”

Izaya glared up at the taller man hovering above him but remained silent.

“So I swear, if I hear one more word from you, I'll fix this by ripping your heart out of your chest.” Shizuo whispered, making a shiver run down the informant's back.

Silence surrounded them as neither dared to speak another word. Izaya stared up at Shizuo, waiting for the blond's next move.

Maybe he shouldn't have provoked the other like that. Especially after finding out about his...condition.

As Shizuo watched Izaya seemingly being scared for once, he suddenly froze. A voice in the back of his mind came to life, occupying his thoughts.

' _Mate scared._ ' The voice whined. ' _Protect..._ '

Shizuo's eyes widened as he kept staring at Izaya.

Mate?

No, no...

His wolf had to be out of its mind.

For a werewolf, finding a mate was pretty much a life goal and yes, most of the time their wolf side would make that connection.

But...

No, it had to be wrong.

Before Shizuo could freak out even more, he heard footsteps and whirled around.

“Well, if it isn't Shizuo Heiwajima.” The man in front of them laughed.

At the noise, Izaya craned his neck to look past the debt-collector. The man standing in front of them was maybe in his late twenties with a handsome face. What made him narrow his eyes though, was the yellow band around the man's wrist.

So that guy was part of the yellow scarves.

“What do you want?” Shizuo asked, crossing his arms while glaring at the guy.

“I guess you do know that this is our territory.” The gang member explained, clearly threatening the other. “But hey, since you're still refusing to join one of the packs, you're always an intruder, no matter where you go.”

Shizuo's hands balled into fists but he tried desperately to remain calm. If possible, he tried to avoid running into other werewolves. He had made the mistake of punching one of them once and the next day at least a dozen of them came after him.

The man smirked and stepped closer, looking past Shizuo. “Well, what do we have here? Isn't that the informant you hate so much?”

Shizuo stepped to the side to hide Izaya from the other's wicked stare. “That's none of your business.”

The guy hummed and glared up at the taller man. “Tell me what's going on here? Why haven't you punched me into orbit yet? Are you scared?”

Shizuo let out a dry laugh, shaking his head. “Me? Scared of a lap dog like you? Keep on dreaming.”

The member of the yellow scarves chuckled. “Lap dog? I think you're confusing me with yourself. Or why is that guy still looking as appealing as ever?” He smirked.

That did it. That was the last straw it took for the blond to loose the last bit of self-control he possessed. He grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt and pushed him into the brick wall.

“Shut the hell up already.” He growled, his eyes starting to glow viciously.

Izaya watched the scene carefully and slowly stepped forward. While Shizuo was distracted, it would be the perfect time to make a run for it.

He smiled and willed his legs to move, running past the two and back onto the main street when he was suddenly forced to stop.

Right, he totally forgot about why he had been with the brute in the first place.

“Damn” He groaned and turned around. “Shizu-chan...”

The blond had his fist raised in the air, ready to throw a punch, when he suddenly looked up, locking eyes with the informant. Izaya froze at the threatening glow inside those usually brown orbs.

“Leave him alone. We have more important stuff to think about.” The raven told him sternly, for once not a sign of mischief in his voice.

Shizuo looked at the man in his grasp again.

' _Threat...threat..._ ' The voice inside his head chimed but he forced himself to release his hold on the guy and stepped back.

“I don't care about your pack and what you claim to be your territory. Come after me for all I care but if I see you anywhere near Izaya, I won't hesitate to kill every single one of you.” He whispered viciously so the informant wouldn't hear him.

The man let out a low growl before simply walking off, his head raised with arrogance. He glanced at Izaya when he passed him.

Izaya glared up at the man, swallowing the fear rising as he spotted the same glow inside his eyes he had seen in Shizuo's.

Then the man simply turned and walked off, disappearing in the mass of people roaming the streets.

The raven sighed and looked over to Shizuo. The debt-collector's eyes had lost the unnatural glow as he watched Izaya closely.

The informant simply raised his arm until the thin band appeared again, raising his eyebrows. “We have a problem, remember?”

Shizuo kept staring at the other as the voice in the back of his mind kept yelling at him that this was good and not a problem at all. The blond shook his head to clear his thoughts and started walking.

“Yes, let's go. Maybe Shinra can tell us what this is.” He mumbled and stepped past Izaya, pointedly refusing to look at him as he did so. “So you're gonna follow willingly this time or do I have to carry you again?”

Izaya followed him with crossed arms, glaring at the ex-bartender's back. “Touch me again and accept the consequences.” He hissed.

Shizuo grimaced. His wolf obviously had a different opinion on the matter but he shoved the voice into a dark corner of his mind and kept staring forward as he walked, desperately trying to ignore the presence of his enemy behind him.

He really wished his wolf had never encountered the informant in the first place.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Once they arrived at Shinra's, Izaya basically started abusing the doorbell by pushing it over and over again.

“Shinra! You open the door this instant!” He yelled and started knocking.

Shizuo watched the scene with newfound calmness.

How?

Did his wolf seriously think Izaya was a fitting mate? And since when was it possible for it to make that decision on its own?

He hated the stupid louse.

So how...

“Izaya!” Shinra groaned once he finally opened the door, raising his eyebrows at his friend. “Why are you freaking out like...” The underground doctor looked up, spotting Shizuo standing behind the informant. “...that. Oh...”

Izaya simply pushed past him angrily. “We have a problem.”

Shinra looked from one to the other, a small smile appearing on his face. “Which would be?”

The raven whirled around and kept stepping backwards, bringing more distance between him and the blond until the band appeared between them.

Their friend looked down at it, blinking a few times before reaching out to touch it. “What is that?”

“We have no idea but it won't let us go. We can't leave each other's side and it's annoying as hell so please tell me you know a way to break it.” Izaya said, sounding desperate.

The brunet hummed in thought and tapped his chin with his index finger. “Well...actually...”

He was interrupted when Celty suddenly appeared behind Shizuo. She stopped when she saw the two and tensed up.

Shizuo looked down at her. “Hey” He greeted casually while the Dullahan was fidgeting with her PDA.

[What are you two doing here?] She typed, holding it out for Shizuo to read, he hand shaking slightly.

The blond simply raised his arm, showing his wrist with the band attached to it. “This”

She looked up at Shinra, who sent her a knowing smirk. “I think you've got some explaining to do.”

She flinched back and started typing desperately again.

[Me? Don't act like this is just my fault! You know about it too!]

The underground doctor chuckled and stepped aside to let both Shizuo and Celty walk inside.

“What is this about, you guys?” The debt-collector asked, narrowing his eyes.

Shinra laughed nervously as he started pushing a furious Izaya into their living room.

“I'd like to know that too.” The informant hissed, letting himself fall down onto the couch.

“You see...” Shinra started while glancing at his girlfriend. “Celty was kind of fed up with the two of you constantly fighting so...”

Shizuo blinked at the Dullahan in disbelief while Izaya jumped to his feet again. “Celty did this?!”

The headless woman raised her hands in defeat and Shinra grinned apologetically.

“Really?” Shizuo asked. “And I thought only Shinra would come up with something like that.”

“Hey!” The underground doctor whined, but the other three ignored him.

Celty hunched her shoulders and started typing again.

[I'm sorry, okay? But I really think the two of you should learn to at least get along. It would be better for the city and your own health. Physical and mental.]

Izaya pushed Shizuo aside to stand in front of her. The blond let himself be pushed out of the way willingly and glanced at the angry informant.

“Seriously? You have no right to force us into something like that. Undo it! Now!”

Celty watched him, her helmet leaning to the side in thought before she showed him her answer.

[No]

Izaya stared at it before groaning and stomping his foot, again reminding Shizuo of a bratty toddler.

“Celty, you cut this stupid band right now or...”

[Or what? I did this so you two would learn to accept each other and I still think it's necessary. This has been going on for too long already.]

Shizuo sighed and lowered his head while Izaya's face was beginning to turn the colour of a tomato. Before the blond could react, Izaya had reached into his pocket and flicked one of his knives open, holding it to the Dullahan's neck.

Uncomfortable silence surrounded them as neither of the two moved. The raven simply glared up at Celty, while the transporter didn't react.

Shizuo took a step forward, ready to move in case Celty would take action.

Wait, was he really thinking about attacking his friend because he wanted to keep Izaya safe? Hell, this was so fucked up.

“Izaya...” Shinra said carefully. “Would you please drop the knife?”

The informant didn't move, the grip on the handle of the weapon tightening. He knew what he was doing was pointless, but he had to get his point across. “Tell her to undo it.”

The underground doctor sighed but said nothing.

Eventually Shizuo reached out, slowly putting a hand on top of Izaya's and pulling it away.

“That's enough.”

Izaya flinched and glared up at him. “Don't touch me!” He hissed and pushed the other's hand away. Shizuo dropped his hand and watched him closely. “You monster. I should just slit your throat. That's another way of ending this.”

“Izaya, calm down.”

“No! Celty doesn't want to break it? Fine. I'll do it myself!” He hissed, a menacing flicker appearing in his eyes before he raised his knife again, ready to attack the taller man.

Before he could go any further though, he felt pain shoot through his arm. He winced and looked down just in time to see Shinra pull a needle out of his upper arm.

“You...” The informant started as he started to feel dizzy. “What was that?”

“Something to calm you down. You're freaking out.” The underground doctor told him, looking down at the syringe in his hand. “Sorry, Izaya. I'm not very fond of people threatening my beloved Celty.”

Izaya groaned and his eyes fell shut, his knees giving out beneath him. He fell forward and before his body could hit the floor, Shizuo reached out, quickly wrapping his arms around him to hold him upright.

The blond stared down at the unmoving body in his grip.

“Did you really have to do that, Shinra?” He asked without looking at his friend.

“He wanted to hurt Celty. And you.” The brunet said and shrugged.

The Dullahan looked down at the informant and shook her head.

[I'm very sorry, Shizuo. I won't undo it though. This is for your own good.]

Shizuo looked up at her and grimaced. “C-can I talk to you for a second? Alone?”

 

~ ~ ~

 

Once Shizuo had placed an unconscious Izaya on the couch and glared at Shinra, wordlessly telling him not to touch the raven, he followed Celty into their bedroom and shut the door. He would've prefered to go outside to have a smoke but because of their weird bond, this was the only room close enough. 

[What is it?] She asked and sat down on the bed, looking up at him.

The blond leaned against the shut door and looked away. “I have a problem...” He sighed, hesitating for what felt like forever before he continued. “Apparently, my wolf decided that Izaya might be...”

Celty waited patiently for him to continue. She knew that whatever was bothering her friend, wasn't easy for him to admit.

“Actually, it's still me, right?” He groaned and pulled his hair. “Damnit! So it decided that Izaya would be a fitting mate.”

Celty had just taken off her helmet, a wave of black smoke emitting from her headless neck at the words.

[What?!]

Shizuo nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “I don't think I ever told you about this. Werewolf don't have relationships like normal people. Well, some do, but that's unusual. They find a partner based on their scent and since the wolf part is more sensitive to stuff like that, it usually finds that partner. Since I never ran into Izaya during a full moon before, my wolf hasn't been able to pick up his scent until now so when it did...” He stopped and groaned. “It's complicated. The thing is, since my wolf thinks he's my mate, it's kind of...influencing me.”

Celty didn't move, frozen in place.

“Come on. Say something. I need some advice here.” Shizuo pleaded and stepped closer to her.

Eventually she reached for her PDA.

[You and Izaya? I mean I wanted you to get along but this...]

“It's not your fault.”

[Still!] She dropped the device briefly and hunched her shoulders. [So is it like set in stone or can you decide to ignore it?]

Shizuo shrugged and crossed his arms. “I don't really know. What I do know is that even if I decided to leave him alone, my wolf would probably go crazy.”

[So what are you going to do about it?]

He shrugged. “I really have no idea. I can either go crazy and lock myself up in my apartment or I try to get Izaya to like me. Geez, why does it have to be him? And a guy on top of that? I'm not gay. Do I look gay to you?”

She shook as if she was laughing. [No, Shizuo, you don't look gay to me.]

He smiled weakly at her. “I bet you're going to tell me to try it, huh? And that maybe the two of us could make it work.”

[Can you read my mind?] She asked and if she had a head, she would be smiling.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya! I'm so sorry for not updating yesterday but my best friend and I made an anime marathon and yeah...Sorry!  
> Anyway, I'd like your opinion on something. Or rather, my boyfriend. I'll try to make this short.  
> He helped me when I didn't know how to continue my last fic and when I asked him if he had an idea for a new one, he came up with one I didn't want to use. It's pretty good though.  
> The idea is that Izaya dies and goes to Valhalla like he intended and Shizuo won't accept that and forces Heimdall to let him go there to get the flea back. So it would contain a lot of Norse Mythology, which I didn't want to write about since I don't know that much about it. In Valhalla, Izaya would (obviously) fuck with everyone until it ends in chaos, including like Thor, Odin and Loki. So basically a crossover. Or a crack fic. It might be pretty funny.  
> So apparently my boyfriend loves this idea so much that he considers simply writing it himself. He's not really into yaoi stuff so I might have to help him anyway.  
> I'm getting carried away.  
> So what do you guys think?  
> Yay or Nay? It would be awesome to hear your opinion on the matter.   
> Okay, I'll stop now so you can get to reading.   
> Thank you for your attention *bows*

When Izaya finally managed to regain consciousness, he groaned as a sharp pain shot through his head, ready to turn into a full-blown migraine.

He stayed like that for a few minutes, not quite ready to open his eyes just yet. When he finally did though, he was glad that the only light source in the room was a soft reading lamp in the corner.

Everything was quiet except for someone's soft breathing nearby. Izaya turned his head. With his still foggy mind, it took him a while to realise that he was lying on the couch in Shinra's living room and the breathing sound came from a dozing Shizuo, who was sitting on the floor next to the couch with his head resting on top of his arms at Izaya's side.

The informant observed the other closely. Actually, he would've expected the blond to freak out and throw vending machines at him once they found out about their handicap, but surprisingly, Shizuo had remained rather calm the whole time.

In fact, Izaya had been the one to freak out. Maybe he was a bit ashamed at the thought.

He narrowed his eyes. “Stupid Shizu-chan...making me look like an idiot.” He mumbled and reached out to poke the other's forehead.

Shizuo frowned and buried his nose in his arms, making Izaya almost think of the word 'cute'.

Almost.

Eventually, he sighed and raised his gaze, looking out the window. It was already getting dark. How long had he been out?

Suddenly, he froze.

Wait, it was getting dark?

He looked at Shizuo again and hesitated briefly before poking him once again. “Hey, Shizu-chan.”

The blond groaned and turned his head away.

“Shizu-chan! Get up!” Izaya whined. “It's getting dark already.”

After a few minutes of shaking the debt-collector, he finally lifted his head, blinking at the raven tiredly. “What do you want, flea?” Shizuo groaned before yawning right in Izaya's face.

The informant rolled his eyes and sat up all the way. “Look outside. Yesterday was a full moon. Will it still affect you tonight?”

Shizuo opened his mouth to say something but no sound came out. Then he turned his head to look out the window.

“Shizu-chan!” Izaya barked and kicked his shoulder.

“Geez, don't freak out again!” The blond hissed and got up. “Yes, it will affect me. Damnit.”  
“Then shouldn't we like...leave? I doubt Shinra would like to find a gigantic wolf destroying his living room.”

Shizuo nodded and reached out to pull Izaya to his feet rather harshly. The raven squeaked in surprise and stumbled into the other.

“Ah! You could've warned me!” He whined and stepped back quickly.

“Great! You're awake!”

Both looked up as Shinra walked in before locking eyes again.

“Yes and I'm fine, so...” Izaya started awkwardly.

“We're leaving.” Shizuo added and grabbed the other's arm to pull him past Shinra.

The underground doctor stepped aside and looked after them. “Uh, okay? See ya! Try to get along!”

 

~ ~ ~

 

Shizuo kept looking up at the sky. The sun was still setting but it wouldn't take much longer for him to feel the effect of the still full moon.

He was still holding onto the raven's arm, pulling him through the crowd of people. Shizuo didn't know where he was going. He didn't know what to do.

“Would you mind explaining this to me?” Izaya panted behind him. It was hard for him not to stumble over his own feet as Shizuo's pace was rather fast.

“Explain what?” The blond asked quickly, refusing to look back at the informant.

“Well, the full moon was yesterday. Why does it still affect you?”

Shizuo groaned and looked around. Across the street was a small park. That would be better than discussing this in a crowd of people.

He checked the street for cars before pulling Izaya across and into the park. Fortunately, there were barely any people around. Just some walking their dogs.

Shizuo whirled around and let go of the other, who immediately crossed his arms and took a step back. “So?”

“It's different for each of us. Some change for one night only while some have to deal with it for a whole week. It depends on how good you are at holding back.” He explained quickly.

Izaya nodded and looked up at the sky. The sun was already disappearing.

“And what are we going to do? I can't leave.”

“You managed to get along with my wolf last night. You can do it again.”

The raven shrugged. “I guess. I'm still not very fond of running after a giant wolf all night. Can't we go to my place again?”

Shizuo thought about it for a second before shaking his head. “No, we won't make it in time.”

“Then what about your place? It's nearby, right?”

The blond narrowed his eyes. “How do you know where I live?”

Izaya took another careful step back and hid his arms behind his back innocently. “I'm an informant, remember?”

The debt-collector groaned but nodded. “Fine, we can try.” He rummaged through his pockets and got his keys out, handing them to Izaya, who frowned up at him. “Just in case.” He said softly and started walking again.

Izaya followed quickly as Shizuo pulled him out of the park and across the street again. The blond kept looking up nervously, a familiar pull already buzzing through him.

About five minutes away from his place, he suddenly stopped, making Izaya almost run into him.

“Hey, Shizu-” The informant gasped but stopped when he saw the other's wide eyes. They already started to glow like they had earlier that day.

“Izaya” Shizuo mumbled and turned to face the other, reaching out to grab his shoulders. They were currently standing in a rather quiet street and there was no one around but them. The blond pushed Izaya up against a wall. “Turn around.”

The raven blinked up at him and shook his head. “No, why should I?”

Shizuo took a deep breath and shut his eyes for a second. When he opened them again, they were glowing like the moon rising above them. “Please” He whispered softly.

The informant hesitated for a second before nodding and carefully pushing the other's arms away to turn around and face the wall.

“So what's going to happen now?” He asked quietly.

Izaya didn't get an answer and he almost expected to hear the sound of cracking bones and screams. Yes, he had seen a few werewolf films.

What happened instead was that he heard the blond move around and eventually an arm appeared next to him, holding...Shizuo's clothes?

Izaya froze and stared at them. “Shizu-chan...are you naked?”

“I don't want to rip my clothes. Thank you very much.” Came the answer, making the informant shiver. “Mind taking them back to my place?”

The raven grimaced but eventually reached out to take them. “Once this is over, I would be fine with not seeing you for a while. I'll even stay out of Ikebukuro. Maybe go on vacation.” He babbled to ignore the fact that Shizuo was fucking naked behind him.

“Where would you go?”

Izaya blinked at the brick wall. “Huh?”

“Where would like to spend your vacation?” Shizuo asked again.

“Why do you care?”

“I'm just making small talk.”

“You're standing naked in the middle of the street, waiting for your weird werewolf powers to kick in and you try to make small talk with me?! Are you an idiot?” Izaya hissed, almost turning around in his rage.

“Keep facing the wall.” Shizuo reminded him calmly. “So?”

The informant groaned and shook his head in disbelief.

“I don't know Shizu-chan. Maybe Europe.” He shrugged as he thought about it. “There are so many different kinds of people. It might be interesting.”

A soft chuckle made him tense up.

“What's so funny, huh?” He asked quickly.

“I don't know what I expected. I can imagine it though. You travelling around Europe, stalking people and getting off on it.”

“I...” Izaya started but decided to simply drop the subject. He raised his head. The last rays of sunlight started to disappear. “Nevermind. Where would you go if you had the chance, Shizu-chan?”

He waited, but the other didn't answer. Instead a pained growl echoed through the streets, making a shiver run down the raven's back. The next thing he heard was indeed the cracking of bones. Sure, he had seen some gore in his life and witnessed bones cracking under pressure but simply hearing it made him freeze, staring at the wall with wide eyes as he couldn't stop listening.

It seemed to keep on forever and at some point Izaya was ready to turn and make a run for it but then he remembered he wouldn't be able to so he shut his eyes and waited for it to stop.

He didn't know how long he stayed in that position and when the noise finally did stop, he still wasn't able to move.

He waited.

What if he had just been lucky last night?

How could Shizuo be so sure that he wouldn't attack?

Izaya wouldn't be able to run. He hated the thought of being at the mercy of some mindless beast.

When something touched his back, he pressed the bundle of clothes against his chest like they could do anything to protect him. Warm breath hit his neck but Izaya still didn't move.

Eventually something pushed against his side and he finally opened his eyes, seeing the large head of a familiar wolf. It blinked up at him calmly, rubbing its nose against his coat.

No, not it.

He.

This was Shizuo.

That wolf was his mortal enemy.

Izaya thought he had accepted that fact but having to face the reality again was something entirely different.

He stared down at the wolf for a few minutes, waiting for him to react but the animal simply watched him with those honey-coloured orbs that barely resembled Shizuo's brown ones any more.

Eventually, Izaya dropped to his knees, still holding onto the other's clothes. He slowly reached out with his free hand and Shizuo quickly leaned in to meet his touch, lowering his head so the informant could pet his head.

“Why aren't you attacking me, Shizu-chan?” Izaya whispered as he carefully stroked behind the wolf's ears.

Suddenly, a noise made him jump to his feet again. He whirled around to face whoever caused it and quickly pulled his knife out.

His eyes widened as he spotted three wolves at the other end of the street. As they were slowly moving towards him, he saw that they were smaller than Shizuo. A lot smaller. Maybe about the size of a normal wolf.

Once they stepped into the light, he spotted their sharp teeth and laid back ears. Of course they wouldn't be friendly.

Izaya took a step back just as Shizuo stepped past him, almost shielding him completely from them. His companion let out a growl, daring them to come any closer and they actually stopped moving, hesitantly sniffing the air.

“Shizu-chan...” Izaya whispered and took another step back. “Let's go.”

Was the other able to understand him like that?

Shizuo huffed and turned slightly to look at him.

Their enemies used that moment to charge. One of them quickly dashed forward and jumped onto Shizuo's back. Izaya saw those sharp canines shine in the dark before they disappeared in the larger wolf's back, making him let out another growl as he thrashed around, eventually throwing his enemy off and into a wall.

The smaller wolf whined as it fell to the ground. The other two kept their distance as they watched the scene but Shizuo seemed to go into one of his rampages, rushing towards one of them and pushing it onto its side with a strong paw. The wolf howled as the larger one leaned down to close his jaw around its front leg. An even louder, pained howl emitted from the animal as it struggled against Shizuo's grip.

Izaya watched the scene in shock. A puddle of blood had formed underneath them as Shizuo started to wriggle his head, his teeth sinking even deeper into the wound.

The informant stumbled back at the sight until the bond appeared between them, holding him in place.

Why was he so scared?

Then everything happened rather quickly.

Shizuo let go and the wolf jumped to its feet again, quickly limping away and after the third one who had fled a few minutes ago.

The larger wolf growled and made to go after it but the bond was still hanging between them. He tried to struggle, pulling desperately but it wouldn't budge.

Izaya's eyes moved to the wolf that had first attacked. It was still lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious. He decided it should be save enough to walk past it as he slowly made his way over to Shizuo, who was still tense as he stared after his attacker.

When Izaya appeared by his side though, he lowered his head, letting out a deep breath.

The raven grimaced as he noticed the blood on the other's back where the wolf had bitten him. He chewed on his bottom lip nervously and reached out to touch the large animal but eventually decided against it, dropping his hand again.

“Come on, Shizu-chan. You've had enough time to play.” He said instead and turned around to head into the direction of the blond's apartment.

Almost immediately, the sound of paws hitting the concrete followed him and when he looked back over his shoulder, he saw Shizuo's eyes trained on him as he calmly moved to catch up with him.

The wolf didn't look like he had just fought two others but then again, this was Shizuo, who probably didn't even notice the wound on his back or the dirt sticking to his fur.

“You're dirty.” Izaya mumbled as he looked forward again. “You better have a bathtub at home, Shizu-chan.”

 


	7. Chapter 7

As soon as Izaya had pushed the key into the lock and turned it to open the door, Shizuo rushed past him and pushed his way inside.

The informant simply stepped inside after him, shutting the door behind him and taking his coat off.

Shizuo was interestedly taking in his surroundings before running back to Izaya, blinking up at him expectantly. The raven frowned and shrugged. “What do you want?” He asked and looked up, noticing the dark stains on the floor where the wolf had been. “Shizu-chan! You're getting dirt everywhere.” He sighed and shook his head. “Bad dog!”

Shizuo tilted his head to the side, obviously not understanding a word.

“You're hopeless.” Izaya mumbled to himself and opened the nearest door, immediately finding the bathroom. To his surprise, there actually was a bathtub just big enough for the large animal. He stepped closer and reached for the shampoo standing on the edge.

“Strawberry shampoo? Seriously?” He opened the cap and the sweet smell hit him immediately, making him grimace. “Of course this is the sort of stuff you like.”

A noise behind him made Izaya look up. Shizuo was pushing his head inside and once he made eye contact with the informant, he shook his head happily and rushed towards him, almost tackling him to the ground as he jumped up onto his hind legs.

Izaya cried out and managed to hold onto the sink just in time. “You dumb beast.” He groaned and pushed the wolf down again. Or more like, Shizuo let himself be pushed away. “Time for a bath, Shizu-chan.”

 

After a lot of pushing and pleading, Izaya actually managed to get the large beast inside the tub and as long as he stayed close, the wolf would stay where he was.

“Alright, let's see.” The raven sighed and leaned closer to inspect the wound on Shizuo's back. The blood was still there but after trying to find the cause for a few minutes, he gave up and frowned. “Seems like it's healed up already. Why do I even bother? If the human version heals quickly, then the wolf can surely do the same.” He hummed in thought. “But that fast?”

Shizuo had watched him and kept quiet the whole time but he seemingly started to get a little bored as he moved around impatiently, craning his neck to reach the raven's face.

“What are you trying to do?” Izaya asked with narrowed eyes. The wolf whined quietly, still trying to reach him. “I swear, if you bite me or some shit, I'll castrate you.” And with that, the informant bit his lip nervously as he leaned down again.

Shizuo stopped moving around and simply pushed his wet nose against the other's cheek lovingly.

Izaya blinked in confusion as he let the wolf have his moment. Eventually the cold nose got slightly warmer so it wasn't as uncomfortable.

Still! This was Shizuo Heiwajima.

The strongest man in Ikebukuro who would never miss a chance to try to kill him.

The thought made Izaya draw back, which made the wolf whine again.

“That's enough affection for one day.” He mumbled and reached for the shower head before turning the water on. Shizuo flinched back when the cold water hit his back and Izaya was quick to adjust the temperature until it was comfortable.

He looked over to the wolf, who was watching him yet again.

Shizuo had told him he didn't remember what happened during those nights, right? Well, mostly. So he could at least have a little fun with this.

“Ready or not!” Izaya chuckled before holding the shower head over the wolf's head. It howled in shock but the raven was quick to put his free hand under the stream as well, stroking his head. That seemed to calm Shizuo since he let his ears fall and shut his eyes, letting the water run down his snout and back.

Once he was completely soaked, Izaya turned the water off and squeezed some of the strawberry shampoo onto his hand. That sweet smell made him poke his tongue out and he quickly put it on Shizuo's back and started rubbing it into his fur until the wolf was completely covered in white foam.

Izaya stepped back to observe his work. “Now you look like a big fluffy polar bear.” He laughed quietly, making Shizuo look up at him again.

The informant immediately noticed his mistake as the wolf got onto his legs and started shaking.

“No!” Izaya cried but within seconds he was covered from head to toe in said strawberry-scented foam. He groaned and looked down at himself. “Shizu-chan! Why?”

The wolf wagged his tail which caused more foam to cover the floor and walls.

“Okay, stop it!” Izaya said quickly and stepped closer again, pushing the animal down into a sitting position again. He quickly grabbed the shower head again and turned the water on, washing the shampoo off and running his fingers through the soft fur mindlessly.

Ten minutes later, Shizuo started to struggle, probably getting tired of sitting inside the tub for so long. Izaya blinked at the movement and leaned across the wolf to turn the water off.

“Sorry, I kinda drifted off a bit.” He mumbled and reached for a towel, throwing it across Shizuo and rubbing him dry. At least he tried but the wolf surprised him by simply jumping out of the tub and shaking again. Izaya just watched indifferently. He would have to take his clothes off for them to dry anyway.

Once Shizuo seemed satisfied he stepped out of the bathroom like nothing had happened, leaving a drenched Izaya and a flooded bathroom behind.

 

Once Izaya had managed to at least clean some of the made Shizuo had made, he poked his head out of the bathroom in search for the beast. The large wolf was lying on the couch contently, his eyes closed.

The informant smiled and carefully walked across the hall, opening a door he supposed was the blond's bedroom.

To his surprise, the small apartment had a quite modern flair to it.

“You've got good taste, Shizu-chan. Gotta admit that.” Izaya whispered to himself as he opened the closet. After looking through the other's clothes, he grabbed a grey hoodie and a pair of gym shorts, quickly changing into them and throwing his soaked shirt and pants onto the bed.

Once finished, he looked at himself in the mirror. The hoodie was way too big and the shorts, which were probably meant to end mid-thigh, stopped underneath his knees.

“Not really a fashion statement but it will do.”

Izaya quickly grabbed his own clothes and put them onto a heater he found in a corner. He turned it on and left the room, stepping into the living room.

Shizuo was still dozing away on the couch so the raven decided to clean the mess the wolf had made.

It would probably be a long night.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Izaya jerked awake when something touched his hand.

He had cleaned up the mess and found something to eat for himself afterwards. Then he had sat in the armchair next to the couch and turned the TV on, watching whatever was on while eating.

The TV was still on, giving everything a faint blueish glow in the otherwise dark room. The raven blinked a few times before dropping his gaze to Shizuo. The wolf was sitting next to the armchair, nudging the informant's hand with his nose.

Izaya reached out mindlessly and patted his head. “What's wrong? Why did you wake me up?” He asked softly and Shizuo simply placed his head on the armrest and shut his eyes, enjoying the attention.

Izaya would never admit it to anyone, but he was enjoying this.

He was so used to living alone and had never noticed how lonely he had been all along but now that he was acting all domestic around his enemy, he really wished that he had someone at home waiting for him.

“Maybe I should really get a guard dog.” He whispered. “Or a cat.”

Shizuo opened his eyes again and got up, stepping closer and craning his neck to carefully take the raven's sleeve between his teeth. Izaya frowned and got up as the wolf started to pull.

“Shizu-chan...”

The animal kept pulling until they stood in front of the closed bedroom door where he let go. Izaya's hand kept hovering in the air though. “You wanna sleep in your bed?” He asked and reached out to open the door.

Shizuo huffed and pushed it open all the way. He slowly moved inside where he jumped onto the bed.

The informant smiled at the sight and turned away to go back into the living room. The couch was a bit small but it would do for one night.

He didn't get that far though since Shizuo let out a heartbreaking howl once he was out of sight. Izaya stopped and looked back to the slightly open bedroom door. “I thought you wanted to sleep.” He sighed and moved back, looking inside. “Come on. No more drama.”

Shizuo whined and raised one paw, letting it fall onto the mattress next to him.

The other watched with raised eyebrows. “Are you...asking me to sleep in your bed?”

The wolf repeated his movement, this time slightly more forceful.

“Sorry, Shizu-chan. I'll take the couch.” Izaya chuckled and made to turn away again but a shrill howl made him flinch and look back to the wolf. “Are you for real? You're acting like a child! And you're calling me a spoilt brat.” He grumbled under his breath as he stomped towards the bed, crossing his arms as he stared down at Shizuo.

The wolf started fidgeting happily as he watched the raven.

Izaya sighed.

He didn't want to wake up to a naked protozoan again but the beast wouldn't leave him alone. That much was obvious.

Shizuo would never know as long as Izaya managed to wake up before him and move to the couch. The brute was probably used to sleeping in while Izaya usually got up rather early. He would managed.

With that in mind, he climbed onto the bed and found himself surrounded by the scent of his enemy. Before he could give it a second thought though, Shizuo was moving closer to him, again rubbing his nose against the informant's cheek happily.

Izaya laid back and let a hand fall onto the other side of his face in defeat. “This is so not good for my mental health.” He whispered and turned his head slightly until Shizuo's nose was rubbing against his own.

Without giving any further thought, Izaya found himself smiling.

Maybe he could pretend that this was okay. Only for one night.

He sat up and Shizuo drew back slightly before Izaya wrapped his arms around the wolf's neck and buried his face in his soft fur.

“You won't remember this anyway.” He whispered and let himself fall back again, pulling Shizuo with him, who happily laid next to him. “You know, it was never my decision to hate you.” He said softly, getting a huff in return. “The day we met you simply decided you didn't like me and I went along with it. I'm not saying we could've been best buddies but it wouldn't have to be like this.”

Shizuo whined softly and rubbed the side of his face against Izaya's cheek.

“Maybe Celty is right and we should try to get along but I just can't help it. I never let my guard down. There is no one I would want to act sincere around.” He shut his eyes and laughed sarcastically. “Not that there's anyone who would care enough.”

Izaya rolled onto his side and buried his face in the wolf's fur once again. “God, this is so pathetic.” He yawned, slowly starting to feel rather tired. “The great Izaya Orihara. What's his big secret?” Izaya chuckled sadly and Shizuo twitched as he fell asleep.

“He's lonely.”

 


	8. Chapter 8

Shizuo blinked his eyes open, his surroundings coming into view slowly. When he noticed that he was indeed in his own bedroom, he let out a soft sigh. So Izaya had managed to get them both to his apartment.

The blond shivered and sat up, reaching for the neatly folded covers at the end of the bed. He untangled them quickly and pulled them over his naked body.

That was when he turned his head and noticed Izaya was next to him. Again.

He wasn't as irritated as he should be.

The raven was curled up on his side, facing Shizuo. His hair was messy and his soft lips were parted slightly as he took even breaths.

Shizuo's eyes roamed over his body and the debt-collector chuckled quietly when he noticed the other wearing his clothes. They looked so out of place on the informant's frail body but the blond still felt proud at the sight.

Then he froze.

What was he thinking?

Shizuo kept staring as he tried to find the usual hatred towards the other but couldn't bring himself to spark it.

Instead he felt the urge to pull the covers over both their bodies and pull him close.

When Izaya suddenly frowned in his sleep and drew his knees up to his chest, something inside Shizuo broke. The raven looked so fragile and lost.

So, without thinking about it too much, he laid down again and reached out carefully, wrapping his arms around the other and pulling him into his chest slowly so Izaya wouldn't wake up. If he did, he would surely freak out again. He made sure the covers were covering them before burying his nose in Izaya's dark hair.

' _Mate safe_.' The voice inside him whispered. ' _But mate sad. Why why why_ '

Shizuo frowned, for once not trying to push it away. He drew back slightly and looked down at Izaya, observing his face.

At the movement, the raven whimpered and his pained expression returned.

Was he having a bad dream?

Should Shizuo wake him?

He didn't want to. Not when he knew what Izaya was like when he was awake.

So instead he started rubbing the smaller man's back soothingly. “Shh, it's okay.” He whispered into the informant's ear.

Izaya flinched slightly at the voice, his expression still the same.

' _Mate scared? Why why why_ '

Shizuo tightened his grip and pulled the covers over both their heads, trying to create some sort of shelter.

“Izaya” He said softly, louder this time. “Everything's alright. You're safe.”

When the raven let out another whimper, Shizuo cupped his cheeks with both hands and pushed their foreheads together.

Izaya's eyes suddenly fluttered open and he blinked at Shizuo absently. Slowly, he raised a hand and ran his fingers down the blond's neck, his eyes unfocused.

“Shizu-chan?” He asked softly.

Shizuo simply nodded and shivered when the other's touch left a tingling sensation behind. For a second he had hope that maybe he didn't have to tell Izaya about the whole mate thing. Maybe it would work out just like that.

But then those ruby eyes widened as the raven came back to reality. He flinched back and threw the covers off them before jumping off the bed, just like he had done the last time they woke up like that.

Shizuo sighed and sat up, making sure his nudity was still hidden.

“What were you just doing?” Izaya asked frantically, pointing a finger at the other.

“You were having a nightmare or something so I tried to calm you down. That's all.” Shizuo explained calmly and crossed his arms. “No need to freak out on me, flea.”

Izaya dropped his hand and his eyes wandered down the blond's body to where it disappeared underneath the covers.

“You...” He started awkwardly and stepped back. “You should get dressed.” And with that Izaya fled the room, shutting the door behind him and seconds later, Shizuo looked down at his wrist as the band appeared. He watched as it disappeared again, only to flicker back to life soon after.

Like he had predicted, Izaya was freaking out again.

Shizuo buried his head in his hands, his fingers slowly curling and pulling his hair.

He had to tell Izaya.

Otherwise it would drive him crazy.

In the back of his head that voice kept screaming at him.

' _Why why why. Mate upset. Why. Threat? No. Safe. But why? Where? Why not here?_ '

“Shut up!” Shizuo hissed quietly and grimaced, pushing his fists into his temples in frustration. “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!”

But the voice only got louder and louder. He wanted to scream and maybe use something to split his skull open.

“Shizu-chan?”

Izaya's weak voice sounded trough the door. Shizuo dropped his hands immediately and looked up. The voice in his head stopped as well and he sighed in relief.

“Uh, yes?” He asked and pushed the covers back, getting out of bed to grab some clothes.

“Are you finished? I'm hungry.” Izaya said softly so Shizuo almost didn't hear him.

' _Mate hungry? Hunt hunt hunt_ '

“Oh geez, for real now?” The blond mumbled and rolled his eyes.

“What?” Izaya asked.

“Nothing!” Shizuo said quickly as he started getting dressed. “I'll be out in a sec. Choose somewhere to go for breakfast.”

“Okay” Came the weak answer.

Something was different about Izaya or was his beastly side simply making him imagine things? Shizuo shook his head to himself and finished putting his clothes on.

When he opened the bedroom door, he immediately saw Izaya sitting across from him, leaning against the wall with his knees pulled up against his chest.

Shizuo swallowed the lump forming in his throat and forced a smile.

“Are you ready to go or what?”

Izaya nodded and got up slowly.

“Let me just get my clothes.” He said and disappeared into the bedroom where his clothes from the day before were still draped over the heater.

Shizuo leaned against the wall and dropped his head.

He would tell Izaya and either the raven would accept it or be disgusted.

Mostly likely the latter.

 

~ ~ ~

 

They walked around the city wordlessly for ten minutes until Izaya headed towards a small cafe. They chose a table next to the window and sat down. A few minutes later, a waitress appeared and took their order.

Both wanted to get some scrambled eggs and Shizuo ordered some hot chocolate while Izaya chose black coffee.

“Mind telling me what happened last night?” Shizuo asked once the woman had left again.

The raven fiddled with the fur on his sleeve and shrugged, refusing to look at the other.

“Not much.”

“Oh, come on. Just tell me. My bathroom looks like someone decided to have a pool party in it.”

Izaya let go of his sleeve and crossed his arms. “You got dirty. I just didn't care enough to clean up afterwards.”

That was a lie. Izaya simply wasn't used to cleaning. At his apartment, Namie took care of that kind of stuff. He had simply tried to get rid of the puddles on the floor and hadn't bothered with anything else.

He had managed to get the dark spots out of the carpet though. His wrists still hurt when he thought about how long he had spent on the floor, scrubbing at the stains.

Shizuo watched as the other rubbed his wrist mindlessly. “How'd I get dirty, huh?”

Izaya froze and looked away when the waitress returned with their orders.

The blond took a sip of his hot chocolate and waited for the other to say something.

“You got into a fight.”

“A fight?”

“Yeah...”

Shizuo raised his eyebrows and started eating while Izaya looked down at his plate with a bored expression.

“Mind giving me some details?” The debt-collector groaned eventually.

Izaya finally started picking at his food, resting his head in his palm.

“Right after you changed, these wolves showed up. You scared them away and got dirty in the process. That's all.” He explained quickly.

Shizuo chewed and nodded. “Okay” He said after swallowing. “So you gave me a bath?” He chuckled.

“It's not like I had a choice. You would've gotten me dirty.”

“Well, considering you were wearing my clothes, I guess I got you wet at least.” The blond purred with a smirk. Once the words had left his mouth though, he felt himself blush and quickly turned his head away.

Why would he say something like that? That sounded...wrong.

Izaya tensed up and reached for his coffee hesitantly, refusing to reply to that.

“I'm sorry.” Shizuo mumbled quickly. “Listen, I know you're not very fond of having to be around me all the time but I really think we should at least try to get along. We don't really have a choice but we can decide if we spend the time we are bound together trying to kill each other or not. I think that would be a real pain in the ass after a while and I'd rather be able to be in the same room as you without my blood pressure constantly being at its limit. That's not healthy.”

The informant had started to watch him at some point, his face not giving away any kind of emotion.

Once finished with his speech, Shizuo quickly shovelled the rest of his breakfast into his mouth and waited for the other to say something.

“Oh, Shizu-chan...” Izaya sighed, forcing himself to put on his signature smirk. “If you really think I would not enjoy pushing your buttons 24/7, then you are even more stupid than I thought.” He laughed. “It's really cute that you try to see the best in me but let me tell you one thing. I will never stop hating your guts. This damned connection won't change anything.”

Shizuo dropped his gaze, staring down at his empty plate. He couldn't stand seeing the mischief in the other's eyes.

It was like the Izaya he had woken up next to was a completely different person.

“You're always acting like you're better than everyone else.” The blond groaned, glaring up at the informant. “The truth is, you are not. You have emotions like every other human being. You get hurt, you bleed and even you, Izaya Orihara, even you get scared every once in a while.”

The raven's eyes widened briefly before he put on his usual mask again. “Aw, Shizu-chan. I think you just wish you could be like that. Don't- ”

“Shut up.” Shizuo hissed, leaning across the table. He could feel his wolf get dangerously close to his consciousness but didn't push it away. “This morning you had a nightmare. What was it about? What could scare you, the best information broker of the city? Huh? Maybe getting kidnapped for information. Being defenceless.” He paused briefly. “No, that's not it.”

“What is this? An interrogation?” Izaya whispered, narrowing his eyes.

“I'm just trying to make sense of you. I know you're mental. Something in your head is seriously messed up and I'd like to find out what it is.”

The raven remained silent but didn't avert his eyes.

Shizuo opened his mouth to continue, when a sharp pain shot through his head and he winced, shutting his eyes tightly as the flea's voice echoed through his head.

 

“ _The great Izaya Orihara. What's his big secret?”_

 

“ _He's lonely.”_

 

The pain disappeared as quickly as it had started and Shizuo opened his eyes again.

Was that a memory?

For the first time in his life, he tried to mentally reach out to his wolf to get an answer but all he felt was this calm warm feeling surrounding him.

“Shizu-chan?”

The blond blinked down at the informant, his anger completely gone.

Izaya was watching him closely. Was that worry in his eyes?

“You're not alone.” Shizuo suddenly blurted out before he could stop himself. “You...”

“Are we done here?” The raven asked and jumped to his feet, watching the other with a hollow look in his eyes. “I would like to get some work done.”

“Izaya...”

“No. I've done enough for you. Now it's your turn to do something for me and I say we go to my place.”

Shizuo kept staring at him for a few seconds before dropping his head in defeat.

“Fine”

Izaya nodded and simply walked off to pay for their meal while the blond glared down at his hands. So his wolf was capable of sharing certain memories with him. That had never happened before.

And on top of that, it seemed to understand Shizuo's struggle. Okay, maybe it didn't really understand but it had felt the need to show him a scene from the previous night, so it must think it was essential for Shizuo to know.

The blond shook his head. He shouldn't try to make sense of it all.

So Izaya was lonely and he had admitted it when he thought Shizuo would never find out.

It had always been pretty obvious that the informant wasn't popular among others but it always seemed like he was content.

Apparently, Izaya wasn't as twisted as Shizuo had always thought. But if he was lonely, then why didn't he try to change something?

The debt-collector lifted his head and looked at Izaya's back as he handed the waitress a few bills. The raven was smirking and bowed after receiving his change. He said something that made the woman giggle before turning around and coming back to their table.

“Let's go.” Izaya said before turning away again and making his way to the exit.

Shizuo got up wordlessly and followed him. He quickly glanced over his shoulder at the waitress who was watching them. He shot her a glare and she froze, looking away.

Nope.

He wasn't jealous.

At least he told himself that.

As he started walking after Izaya, he observed the raven's posture. His hands were stuck inside the pockets of his coat and his head was raised proudly.

Shizuo sighed. He wouldn't get rid of the other anytime soon so he made a promise to himself.

He would try to find out who this guy was behind his mask.

Maybe, without his magnificent acting skills, Izaya Orihara could be someone he could get along with and truly care about.

His wolf sent his approval in his mind, happy at the thought of not being denied any more.

 


	9. Chapter 9

It took them a while to arrive in Shinjuku and during the whole trip neither of them dared to speak a word.

Izaya simply tried to ignore the other's presence while Shizuo kept watching the raven closely.

Once they arrived at the informant's apartment, the blond gasped as he took it all in.

“You live here? How can you afford that?”

Izaya glanced up at him and shut the door behind them.

“None of your business. And don't act so surprised. You've been here before. You ruined my sheets. There's fur everywhere.”

Shizuo rolled his eyes.

“It's not like I remember.”

“Whatever. Just leave me alone so I can get some work done.” Izaya mumbled and stomped past the other, rounding his desk and sitting down in front of his computer.

Shizuo slowly stepped further into the apartment and decided to sit down on the couch.

“Can I turn the TV on?” He asked and looked over his shoulder at Izaya.

“No” The raven sighed as he hid behind one of the files on his desk.

“What about some music?”

“Still no.”

“Then what am I supposed to do here all day?”

Izaya groaned and looked up, opening his mouth to speak, but Shizuo was faster.

“Wait, you have glasses?” He asked with wide eyes.

The informant raised an eyebrow and pushed the reading glasses up his nose. “I do. So?”

“It looks weird. As if you're a nerdy student.” Shizuo said, tapping his chin in thought.

Izaya seemed taken aback as he quickly hid behind his work again.

“Shut up.” He mumbled.

Shizuo kept watching though. He wouldn't get through to the flea if he kept being demanding. At least not if he did it aggressively. Maybe if he simply acted out his new found affection, Izaya's walls would eventually crumble.

He smirked and stretched one arm across the backrest of the couch, leaning his head onto it.

“You know, it's cute though.” He added and narrowed his eyes, waiting for the other's reaction.

Izaya flinched and dropped the file, blinking at the blond.

“W-what?”

“You heard me.” Shizuo chuckled and turned away.

The informant kept staring and squeaked in shock when a knock echoed through the room.

Shizuo looked up interestedly.

“Who's that?” He asked.

Izaya sighed and leaned down to pick the papers up.

“Mind opening the door?”

The debt-collector huffed and shook his head.

“Sorry, no can do. Your apartment is too big.”

The raven glared at the back of Shizuo's head as he pushed the chair back and stomped across the room, whispering profanities.

When he pulled the door open, he quickly put on his usual smirk again though. In front of him stood a man wearing a black suit and red tie. His brown hair was pulled back and when he looked at Izaya, he took his sunglasses off.

“Izaya Orihara?” The man asked.

The informant hesitated before smiling at him.

“That would be me. How can I help you?”

“I'm looking for some information on someone. I heard you might know a thing or two about him.”

Izaya nodded and stepped aside, bowing slightly.

“Of course. Please come in.”

The man stepped inside and waited for Izaya to lead the way to his desk.

When Shizuo came into view, the man suddenly stopped though. Izaya looked over his shoulder at him.

“Is something wrong?” He asked innocently.

The man narrowed his eyes at Shizuo who simply looked from Izaya to the stranger in confusion.

Suddenly the man reached behind his back and pulled a knife out. Both watched in shock as he reached for Izaya's arm and pulled him close, holding the blade to his neck.

“So the rumours are true.” The guy laughed and glanced over to Shizuo who jumped off the couch, ready to attack. “Nah, I'd keep my distance if I were you. I doubt he's going to be very useful with a slit throat.”  
Shizuo balled his hands into fists but forced himself to stay where he was.

“What do you want?” He growled.

The man smiled politely and shook his head.

“I'm so sorry. Where are my manners? Let me introduce myself. The name's Shin Tsukuda. You see, I'm an informant as well. Or that's part of my profession.” He explained with a quick glance to Izaya, who was baring his teeth up at the man. “The difference is that I'm like you, Shizuo Heiwajima.”

Shizuo just kept glaring at him, not sure what to answer to that.

“So what do you want from us?” Izaya gasped and Mr. Tsukuda looked down at him again.

“Impatient, are we? I was just about to explain that.” He sighed. “There are rumours going around the werewolf population of this city and some of the pack leaders are not very fond of that so they hired me to find out.”

Shizuo swallowed nervously. “What rumours?”  
“They say there's a rogue in town, who keeps beating up pack members.” Mr. Tsukada told him calmly.

“That's nothing new. I've always been on my own and no one ever came after me.”

“That is true but that's not the reason they suddenly are so interested in you anyway.”

“Then what is it?” Shizuo barked angrily.

“They also say that you've told a human about us. And not just any human.” He looked down at Izaya in disgust. “An info broker. Do you really think he won't tell anyone? How naïve.”

Shizuo growled and took a step closer, but the man smirked and put more pressure on the knife at Izaya's throat, making the raven gasp.

“Nah nah, Shizuo. Don't forget the rules. I'm sure you are aware of the fact that humans are not allowed to know. Imagine what might happen if they did. We can't have that.” He chuckled. “But there's another thing I heard.”

“What?” The blond spat.

“Someone told me that this human smells like you.” Mr. Tsukada said, his eyes getting dark as he spat the word 'human'. “Aren't you two enemies? For years, you've been constantly going at each other's throats and now? Wanna know what I think?”

Shizuo didn't bother answering.

“I think your wolf took a liking to him.” The man purred. “Someone saw you protecting the informant in your wolf form.”

“Don't.” The debt-collector hissed but Mr. Tsukada's grin simply widened.

“He's your mate, right?” He laughed and looked at Izaya, shaking him slightly which caused the blade to pierce his skin and draw blood. “You do know that human mates are not allowed.”

“Shut up. I don't have to follow your dumb rules.”

Mr. Tsukada sighed. “You know, I've done this before quite a few times. Human mates are rare but from time to time it does happen.” The man explained. “Once he is dead, you can go on with your life like nothing happened and find someone else. Someone like us. Believe me when I tell you that it's easier that way.”

“Shut up already!” Shizuo growled and his eyes started to glow.

“Don't you turn beast on me because if you do my hand might slip.”

Izaya craned his neck, trying to get away from the knife. The man still had a tight grip on him but he was focused on Shizuo and their conversation.

The informant glanced over to the blond and took a deep breath before pulling his leg back and kicking his knee into Mr. Tsukada's groin.

The man gasped and released Izaya in shock. Shizuo grinned and rushed forward, wrapping his hand around the other werewolf's throat and pushing him into the wall.

“I don't care about your rules.” He hissed and tightened his grip slightly. “Tell me who hired you.”

The man gasped but kept grinning up at Shizuo. “Like I'd tell you.”

“Mr. Shiki did, right?” Izaya suddenly said and both men looked at him. The informant held a hand to his throat where the cut was still bleeding.

Shizuo narrowed his eyes at the sight and faced Mr. Tsukada again. “Is that true?”

The man chuckled breathlessly. “You really are the best informant in town, huh?”

“So the Awakusu are werewolves too.” Izaya mumbled and stepped over to his desk. “That explains a lot.”

Shizuo huffed. “What are we going to do with this rat?” He asked Izaya, who looked up at them sternly.

“Kill him for all I care.” The informant sighed and shrugged. “It doesn't really matter if he reports back to the Awakusu or not. They're going to come after us anyway.”

Shizuo bit his lip as he thought about what to do. Eventually he simply drew his fist back and punched the guy right in the face to knock him out. Mr. Tsukada groaned before collapsing as the blond didn't hold him up any more.

“Izaya...” Shizuo started but the raven raised his palm to silence him.

“I don't wanna hear it.”

“Please just let me explain.”

“No” Izaya walked over to him, briefly glancing down at his broken reading glasses on the floor. “We're leaving.” He said and grabbed his coat again.

“What? Where- ”

“I have another apartment in Ikebukuro. No one knows about it so it should take them a while to find us there.”

Shizuo followed him out of the apartment slowly. “And how are we gonna get there without anyone noticing?”

Izaya crossed his arms and hummed. “That's a good question. You think Celty might be able to help?”

The blond smiled and nodded. “She'll be happy to.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

[The Awakusu are after you?!] Celty typed hysterically. [And they want to kill Izaya because of a bunch of stupid rules?]

Shizuo took a drag of his cigarette and nodded. They were currently standing on the small terrace of Izaya's second apartment. It was rather small compared to the one in Shinjuku but it was on the ground floor which Shizuo was glad for. At least he could smoke.

Celty had turned Shooter into a black car with darkened windows to get them to their destination without anyone noticing.

She tapped her foot and started typing again.

[Shizuo, listen. I'm sorry. This is my fault.]

“It's not. My wolf wouldn't have left him alone anyway so don't worry about it.”

She nodded slowly.

[If you want I can break the bond.]

Shizuo read the message and inhaled more smoke. Did he want that? Izaya would surely run off the minute he was free.

“I think...” He started carefully and glanced inside where Izaya was sitting on the couch with his laptop. “It's better if you don't. That way they can't kidnap him or anything. I doubt they know about it, which is good. I'd like to keep an eye on him until this mess is over.”

[I guess you're right. So how is it going between the two of you?]

Shizuo put his cigarette out in the small ashtray standing on a wooden table and sighed.

“I have no idea. That guy who attacked us basically revealed everything but Izaya doesn't want to talk about it.”

[I bet he'll come around at some point.]

“I hope you're right.” He kept watching the raven through the glass. His face was scrunched up in thought and he was tapping his bottom lip nervously. “You know, he's lonely. I wish I could do something about that.”

[I can see that you're really trying so don't get too worked up about it.]

Shizuo turned his face away and nodded. “Thanks, Celty.”

[No problem. You know you can always text me in case you wanna talk. I need to head back though. Shinra has a job for me.]

The blond nodded. “Sure. I'll see you around.”

She nodded and slid the glass door open to step inside. She waved at Izaya, who just watched her go without a word.

“What did the two of you talk about, huh?” The informant asked once Shizuo was back inside and closed the door.

“This and that.”

“Cut the crap. You were talking about me.”

Shizuo froze but eventually dropped his shoulders in defeat.

“How'd you know?”

“I'm not stupid, Shizu-chan.” Izaya hissed and closed his laptop before getting up and stepping towards the blond. “I did some research so now I understand your problem.”

“My problem?”

“Yes. If the website I found wasn't a hoax, that is.” The raven mumbled. “So werewolves have mates and apparently their human side has no choice in the matter, which explains why you didn't attack me in your wolf form. Am I correct?”

Shizuo blinked at him speechlessly and nodded.

“Further more, it appears to influence your human-self which is why you don't fight me any more.” Izaya continued. “Do you want to know what I think about all that?”

The debt-collector swallowed nervously but nodded again.

Izaya lowered his gaze and turned away, letting himself plop down onto the couch once again. “I don't know.” He said and rested his chin in his palm. “I have no idea what to do with that information. What is it that you expect me to do?”

“Uh” Shizuo's mind was empty at the other's honesty.

“Do you want me to just roll with it?” He asked with a smirk. “Wouldn't that satisfy your inner beast? We could watch a film and cuddle on the couch and later we go to bed together.” His crimson eyes narrowed. “Would you like that? I might even let you fuck me if that's what you want.”

Shizuo sighed and looked away. What had he expected?

“Izaya, stop.”

The raven jumped to his feet again and crossed his arms. “Oh, but wouldn't that be sweet?” He kept mocking the other. “You want that, don't you?” Izaya slowly stepped closer to Shizuo again, grinning up at him. “I also read that, if you want to make me yours, you would have to bite me. That way, everyone would know.” He reached up to pull the collar of his shirt aside, revealing the spot where his neck met his shoulder. “Right here.” He purred.

Shizuo stared down at Izaya with wide eyes. The informant was mocking him. He knew that. Still, he couldn't force himself to look away as the voice inside him got louder and louder.

' _Yes! Mate. Protect. Mark._ ' It howled. ' _Mine mine mine_ '

Shizuo shut his eyes tightly and pushed it away.

“Shizu-chan, is something wrong?” Izaya asked, his voice sounding innocent but the blond knew it was just another attempt to make him loose his temper. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Shut up!” Shizuo groaned and opened his eyes to glare at the raven. “Why are you saying those things? Do you want me to loose it?”

Suddenly, Izaya seemed taken aback and he didn't know what to say.

Well, why was he mocking the other?

Maybe it was just out of habit.

Then why wasn't he more careful in case Shizuo attacked him?

No, the blond wouldn't do that. In fact, Izaya knew that things would never go back to the way they had been.

His eyes widened as another thought came to his mind.

Was he even mocking Shizuo?

“I'm sorry.” He gasped before he could stop himself and took a step back. “Old habits die hard, I guess.”

“What?” Shizuo asked, his anger gone once again. “Did you...did you just apologise?”

Izaya fixed his shirt and huffed. “Don't get used to it.” He said quickly. “But anyway, what _do_ you expect me to do?”

“That's not important.” Shizuo told him. “I just don't want you to get hurt.”

“Oh? Since when?”

“Since I found out I like having you around.”

Izaya narrowed his eyes and chuckled. “Really?” He spat sarcastically.

“Really” The blond said sternly.

The informant stared up at Shizuo. His voice sounded so sincere. “You're not lying?”

“No”

Izaya started chewing on his bottom lip nervously. Shizuo cared.

“Izaya?” The blond asked and the smaller man flinched at his voice.

Their eyes locked and it felt like forever until the raven moved, slowly stepping closer to Shizuo again and looking up at him with wide eyes.

“I died.”

Shizuo frowned at that. “Uh, what?”

“You wanted to know what my nightmare was about.” Izaya explained calmly. “I died. Someone stabbed me and I collapsed on the street but no one cared. People just walked past like I was a piece of garbage. Shinra, Celty, my sisters, those high school kids. Everyone I know. All of them just walked by like I wasn't even there.”

Shizuo waited for him to finish and smiled sadly. “You know that's not gonna happen, right?”

Izaya chuckled. “Oh? Is that so? Who would care?

“I would.”

“You would end me yourself.”  
“I never would've been able to actually kill you.”

“Bullshit”

“No, I mean it. It's easier said than done. Hell, sometimes I let you get away because I didn't know what to do once I got you.”

Izaya sighed and shook his head. “Shizu-chan, are you an idiot?”

“You keep asking me that.”

“Because I never get an answer.”

Shizuo laughed softly as the raven pouted up at him. Once Izaya realised how close they were, he started to blush.

“Uh, Shizu-chan?” He asked softly. “Would you mind closing your eyes for a second?”  
The blond raised an eyebrow before shutting his eyes. “Why? What are you planning, fl- ”

He didn't get to finish as a pair of soft lips covered his own, shutting him up. Shizuo froze in shock.

Izaya was kissing him.

The man he had hated right from the start. They had chased each other, beat each other, always hoping the other would drop dead.

And yet, they stood in a small apartment in Ikebukuro after not trying to kill each other for almost two days already and Izaya was kissing him.

Would they still have ended up that way if Shizuo was human?

At some point, the blond had wrapped his arms around the other. The kiss wasn't demanding or sweet or even loving.

Their lips were merely touching but Shizuo couldn't help but feel something inside him explode like fireworks. Surprisingly, his wolf kept quiet, letting him simply enjoy the moment.

Then it was over and Izaya stepped back.

Shizuo finally opened his eyes and looked down at the raven, who had lowered his gaze. And was he blushing?

The blond wanted to say something. Anything. He feared that if he did though, Izaya would pull his walls up again, so he held back.

“You're still bleeding.” He said instead and reached out to trace the skin underneath the cut on Izaya's neck.

“It's fine. Don't worry about it. It doesn't even hurt.”

“And you really think I would just let it go? Come on, I bet there's a first aid kit somewhere in here.” Shizuo chuckled and reached for the informant's hand to pull him into the direction of the bathroom.

Izaya looked down at their hands and tried to hold back a smile himself, failing miserably. “Stupid Shizu-chan.” He whispered but followed willingly.

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for not updating for two whole days AAAh I started writing this chapter two days ago und then I had some personal issues to take care of. For those of you who care, I'm having a few problems at the moment. Blabla mental stuff blabla panic attacks blabla seriously I'm 22 and I still have that shit. It's embarassing. You get it.   
> Other than that I have to start studying since I'm in my last year of training and final exams start in a few months and I couldn't care less about the bullshit I have to memorise but I need to get it inside my head so I won't have that much time for writing. I might still be able to update every two or three days or maybe I'll even manage to keep this every day thing up. Let's see.   
> I'll shut up now.  
> And I need to apologise again since this chapter is one big mess and I'm not very happy with it. So SORRY AGAIN!

Izaya sat at the edge of the bathtub, his hands awkwardly folded in his lap as he watched Shizuo look through the first aid kit they had found.

“It's gonna get dark soon.” He said quietly.

“Yeah” The blond mumbled while stepping closer to the informant. “This might sting a little.”

Izaya looked down at the small spray bottle in the other's hand before craning his neck.

“It's for disinfection.” Shizuo explained and the raven rolled his eyes.

“I'm not stupid.”

Once the cold liquid hit the wound, he couldn't keep a whine from escaping him.

“Sorry” Shizuo sighed and reached for the gauze to wrap it around the raven's neck carefully.

“Are you going to change again tonight?” Izaya asked while watching the other's movements closely.

The blond simply shrugged. “Maybe. It's always at least three nights for me. The night before, during and after a full moon. It depends on my mood after that.”

“So if you're calm and controlled, you stay human, but if someone were to anger you, you'd change?”

“Basically”

Izaya nodded to himself and dropped his gaze without moving his head.

“Can you change when there isn't a full moon?”

“Yes”

“So you can choose to?”

“Not really.” Shizuo sighed as he finished bandaging the other up. “If the situation called for it, my wolf would simply push through.”

“What if I were in danger?”

“Maybe...”

“But when that guy held a knife to my throat, you just stood there like a good little puppy.”

Shizuo glared down at him. “I was holding back because I didn't want that knife to accidentally kill you in case I attacked him.” He sighed. “Like I said, it depends. I can't tell you what might cause it.”

“Did it happen before?”

“Yes, once. I wanted to pick Kasuka up after school and I saw those guys picking on him. They didn't know who I was so a few of them tried to hold me back. I don't remember what happened after that. I was still a teenager though so it takes more than a few bullies to trigger it these days.”

Izaya nodded and got up, stretching casually. “I guess you're right. Otherwise it would've happened at least once during one of our fights.”

“Probably” Shizuo said softly and put the first aid kit away.

Izaya lowered his head and left the room.

Outside, the sun was setting, giving everything an orange glow. The raven sat on the couch and reached for his laptop. When he opened it, a new e-mail popped up and he looked up to see if Shizuo would come after him. The blond simply walked past him and into the kitchen.

Izaya lowered his gaze again and opened the mail, quickly reading it before typing a response.

 

_I will be there in an hour._

 

He hit the 'Send' button and shut the laptop again. He put it aside and jumped to his feet again.

“Shizu-chan!” He called and made his way into the kitchen where Shizuo was leaning against the counter with a glass of water in his hand. “I just thought of something. You know what this place needs?”

“Some food in the fridge?” The blond replied sarcastically.

“No” Izaya chuckled and shook his head. “A whirlpool.”

Shizuo blinked at him in confusion. “What?”

“I know the terrace is small but I think it would still fit.”

“I'm simply going to ignore you now.” The debt-collector mumbled to himself and walked past Izaya into the living room.

“Aw, don't be so boring.” The raven giggled as he followed. “We're going to be here for a while so we might as well get comfortable.”

Shizuo sat on the couch and put the glass on the table before looking up at Izaya again. “Can I ask you something?”

The informant smiled and sat in the armchair across from him. “Sure, please do.”

Shizuo nodded and leaned forward slightly, resting his chin in his hands. “How are you so calm about all this?”

“Huh? About what?”

“I don't know. The fact that werewolves are real and that I chose you as my mate?” The blond spat.

Izaya narrowed his eyes and smiled. “I already know about the existence of a demon sword that can possess humans and a headless woman in town, so believing the fact that werewolves are a thing isn't that hard.” He paused and crossed his arms. “As for the fact that you believe me to be your 'mate', as you call it, it's rather convenient for me, don't you think?”

Shizuo raised his eyebrows. “Convenient? What?”

“Practical, handy, useful...”

“I know what it means.” The blond growled and shook his head. “I don't know what you're trying to say though.”

“Well, it means you're going to protect me, right?” Izaya asked and tilted his head to the side, resting it in the palm of his hand. “And no matter what I do or say, that won't change.”

“Yeah, I don't like where this is going.” Shizuo said nervously.

“Shizu-chan.” Izaya purred and got up, slowly rounding the table and stopping in front of the other, who leaned back to look up. “My job gets dangerous from time to time. What's better than having a tamed werewolf by your side as a guard dog?”

Shizuo huffed and turned his head away but Izaya reached out to catch his chin between two fingers, forcing the blond to look at him.

“I really thought you might know me by now but I guess having all those dirty thoughts affects your judgement.” Izaya whispered with a smirk. He pushed Shizuo back and slowly climbed into his lap. “I've always wanted to kill you but this is a nice change of events. You can't resist me.”

Shizuo stared up at the raven who was sitting on top of him with his legs on either side of the blond. Those graceful fingers trailed down his clothed chest carefully.

“D-drop the act.” The debt-collector stuttered.

“You think this is an act?” Izaya purred and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “Do you really think I would care if I died alone?” He pulled back again to see the other's face.

Shizuo's eyes were wide, staring up at him in pure shock.

“You fell for that. That's so cute, Shizu-chan. You're such a good person. My knight in shining armour.” Izaya kept mocking.

Suddenly, their position changed and the informant found himself on his back with the blond hovering above him.

“You” Shizuo hissed. “You're lying.”

Izaya caught himself quickly and laughed. “No, Shizu-chan. I am not.” He purred and reached up to caress the other's cheek. “I was playing with you and I won as expected.”

Shizuo didn't move. He couldn't.

Izaya had to be lying, right?

When he looked into those crimson eyes, all he could see was mischief. There wasn't anything proving the other wasn't telling the truth.

He growled and pushed the raven's hand away, receiving a chuckle in the process.

Izaya watched Shizuo's face closely and started laughing, putting all the malice he had into it. Then he finally saw the reaction he wanted.

Shizuo's eyes started to glow while the sun disappeared, leaving the room in darkness.

“You fucking louse!” The werewolf growled down at him. “And I thought I could talk some sense into you!” Then his fist drew back before rushing towards Izaya, who quickly kicked at his chest so Shizuo fell back.

The informant slipped off the couch and stepped back. The smirk left his face and his eyes widened as Shizuo buried his face in his hands.

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” The blond yelled and pulled his hair.

Izaya guessed it had something to do with the other's wolf side. He took a few more steps back and looked out the window. Clouds rushed out of the way to reveal the moon. It wasn't full any more, but as the light fell onto Shizuo, the first crack of bones echoed through the room.

Izaya swallowed nervously and dropped to the floor, crawling behind the armchair to hide.

“I'm sorry.” He whispered and shut his eyes tightly as he had to listen to Shizuo change once again. It almost broke his heart as he had to listen to those pained cries. Izaya covered his ears and whined, trying to block it out.

He sat there for at least ten minutes with his eyes shut and his ears covered when something nudged his side. He blinked and looked up at the wolf. The animal's honey eyes held a sad glint as he pushed his nose against the informant's cheek.

Izaya sat on his legs and reached out to pet Shizuo's head. “I'm so sorry.” He sighed and leaned forward to wrap his arms around the wolf's neck. “But I need to do this. You wouldn't have let me go.”

Shizuo let out a whine when Izaya pulled back and stroked behind his ear briefly before getting up. The informant sighed and made his way towards the door, He grabbed his coat and put it on quickly.

“You're probably going to hate me tomorrow.” He chuckled sadly and looked down at the wolf once again, clapping his hands together. “Well, Shizu-chan. Time to shine.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

About half an hour later, Izaya stopped in front of a well-known building. He looked up at it and put on his usual smirk.

Next to him, Shizuo laid his ears back and growled quietly. The people roaming the streets had already rushed out of their way quickly.

Izaya hadn't really paid attention to any of them on their way. He didn't care about what they thought or if they were scared. He had other things to think about.

“Alright, Shizu-chan.” He said and stepped forward, the sliding door opening for them.

Inside, Izaya looked around and chuckled when everyone turned to look at them. Well, it didn't happen every day that a huge wolf walked into an art gallery like it was completely normal.

Almost immediately, a man wearing a black suit walked towards him.

“Mr. Shiki is already waiting for you.” He said and looked down at Shizuo, who was narrowing his eyes but remained calm otherwise.

“I expected as much, even though it's still a bit too early.” Shizuo said and shrugged.

The man remained quiet and motioned for the informant to follow. He lead them through the entrance hall and through a door with a sign on it saying 'Staff only!'.

Behind it laid a long corridor with several doors. Izaya had been there a few times before so he knew where Mr. Shiki would wait for him.

They stopped in front of the last door on the right where the man turned to face the raven, glancing down at Shizuo briefly.

“Wait here.” He said before disappearing inside.

Izaya narrowed his eyes. That guy probably wanted to inform his boss of the wolf's presence beforehand which was good. That way they would think about it twice before they pulled anything dirty.

“Shizu-chan, I still don't know if you understand what I'm saying but I want you to look as threatening as you can. Don't attack unless they do though.” He told the wolf by his side.

Shizuo looked up at him and tilted his head to the side as if in question.

Izaya bit his lip and looked up at the door again just in time for it to open. The same man as before stood in front of them and the informant smiled innocently.

Eventually the man stepped aside, revealing a small room with two couches and a small coffee table in between.

Izaya slowly stepped inside, followed by Shizuo who sniffed the air interestedly. Behind them the door was closed and the man who had lead the way stood in front of it.

Mr. Shiki, who was sitting on one of the couches, looked up and grinned.

“Well, if it isn't my best info broker.” He greeted and motioned for Izaya to sit down. “I see you brought company.”

The raven slowly moved towards the second couch and sat down while Shizuo sat next to the armrest, his eyes trained on the Awakusu member.

Mr. Shiki's eyes dropped as he inspected the wolf. “Heiwajima Shizuo, isn't it? The full moon is over. How come he still changed?” The man asked with narrowed eyes.

Izaya crossed his legs and placed both hands on top of one knee politely. “I don't want to come off as rude, but that really doesn't concern you, now does it?”

The other hummed in thought and leaned back into the cushions. “Fine, you wanted to talk. Please, go ahead.”

Izaya chuckled and leaned forward, watching the man closely. “Don't get me wrong. I have no intention of getting on your bad side. I am very fond of our cooperation.” He explained politely.

“I'm glad to hear that.” Mr. Shiki laughed proudly before watching Izaya expectantly again.

The informant looked down to the wolf at his feet briefly and finally dropped his smile. “This morning, a so called 'informant' came to me, allegedly to get some information himself. Shizuo's presence seemed to frighten him though as he held a knife to my throat as soon as he saw him. You won't happen to know anything about that?”

The other man listened carefully before putting on a smile again. “Why do you think the Awakusu are involved? We all know that the job of an informant broker is dangerous.”

“I would agree to that anytime if it weren't for the fact that he told me who hired him. That client happens to be you. Apparently, your little organisation is run by werewolves and you don't like that a rogue like Shizuo Heiwajima might tell a human. That human being me.” Izaya said, trying to get a reaction from his opponent.

Finally, Mr. Shiki dropped his smile and his face turned serious. “Mind your tone, info broker. You are in no position to demand answers from me.” He hissed and leaned forward, glaring at Izaya. Immediately, Shizuo jumped to his feet and started growling. Mr. Shiki looked down at him and huffed. “I am willing to forget about it though and since you are my best informant, I'll even tell you what this is about.”

“Thank you” Izaya cheered and put on a smile again, carefully reaching out and placing a hand on Shizuo's head so he would calm down.

“I did indeed hire another informant to collect some information on you and Heiwajima. Rumours spread fast and I heard that the rogue of the city found himself a human mate. When I heard it was you, I didn't believe it at first. That's why I hired him to find out.”

Izaya leaned back and tapped his chin with his index finger in thought. “Apart from the fact that you could've asked me yourself, it makes sense.” He smiled to himself and shook his head. “What doesn't make sense though, is that said informant wanted to kill me. Know anything about that?”

Mr. Shiki honestly seemed surprised at that and raised his eyebrows. “That would be quite interesting. I assure you that I never gave the man the order to hurt or interact with you in any way.”

“He held a knife to my throat and explained that it was his job to kill human mates. Yes, I'd say that is quite interesting.”

The Awakusu member looked over to the man by the door sternly and nodded once before speaking again. “I am truly sorry to hear that. My men are going to contact this man and have a talk with him.”

Izaya huffed and crossed his arms. “That sounds great but may I make a suggestion?”

“Please do.” Mr. Shiki chuckled and motioned for him to go ahead.

“Don't contact him. I don't want him to know I was here. Let me do a background check on him first. I'll come back to you with the details and then you can decide what to do with him. I'll even do it for free since this is a personal matter.”

The other lowered his head to think about it before nodding. “Fine, you've got yourself a deal.”

Izaya smiled at that and nodded. “Perfect. I'll do my best to be quick.” He purred and jumped to his feet, but Mr. Shiki raised a hand, making the informant frown and plop down again.

“Since you're already here, I would like to talk about something else with you.”

Izaya frowned but nodded. “Okay, what is it?”

“So it is true that Heiwajima chose you as his mate?”

The raven looked down at Shizuo and bit his lip before nodding.

“Interesting.” Mr. Shiki mumbled. “You see, that other informant hasn't reported back to me yet. To be honest, it was more personal interest on my side. Since the two of you weren't really the best of friends from what I heard, this is quite shocking, to say the least.” He explained. “So tell me, how have you not tried to end him yet?”

Izaya froze at that. He hadn't expected that.

“I'm sorry.” He stammered quickly and got up again. “But this conversation has taken a rather unexpected turn and I would prefer to not discuss my current situation with you of all people. No offense.”

Mr. Shiki chuckled and nodded. “None taken. I didn't expect you to answer my question. Let me give you some advice though. There is a reason why there aren't more human mates around. It's not that it is a rare phenomenon. It happens quite often actually. The thing is that those humans usually decide to flee the scene. You see, werewolves don't have relationships like humans do. They mate for life and since there is a ranking system, being with one of us is always a fight for dominance. I know you. You are not one to just submit to anyone. You like having the upper hand. This meeting simply proves it again. Heiwajima though? He might not be in a pack and therefore has no status whatsoever, but one would rank him as an alpha male and you can't handle that.”

Once he was finished, he smirked at Izaya, who simply narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. He was desperately trying to stay collected on the outside and he hated to admit it to himself but the man's words already started to sink deep into his mind.

The informant looked down at Shizuo again, who had gotten up as well and was watching him expectantly.

“Thank you for the advice.” He said eventually, forcing a confident smile onto his face.

“You're welcome.” Mr. Shiki said and nodded towards the man by the door again, who quickly opened the door. “That would be all. I look forward to hearing from you.”

Izaya nodded and stepped towards the door.

“Oh, one more thing.” The Awakusu member said and the raven stopped in his tracks. “In case you need any help with your little problem, I'm sure we might be able to come up with a deal that the both of us can benefit from.”

Izaya didn't even turn around to look at him and nodded. “I'll keep it in mind.”

“Good to hear. It was a pleasure, as always.” Mr. Shiki laughed. “Info broker.”

When Shizuo nudged his hand, the informant quickly rushed out of the room and along the corridor. He had to get out of there.

The sound of paws hitting the ground was behind him as he fled the building and rushed through the already thinning crowd of people.

They stared and parted for him when they spotted Shizuo and eventually he turned into a dark alley and leaned against the wall. The wolf was by his side immediately, nudging his hand again.

“Don't do that!” Izaya hissed and pulled his hand back, making Shizuo whine and look up at him sadly. “You! You are supposed to hate me!”

The animal flinched back at the raven's voice and lowered his head to the ground.

“No, stop it! I don't have to feel bad. I did nothing wrong!” Izaya cried as he slowly slid down to the ground. “Who gave you the right to fuck everything up like that? I'm your enemy, Shizu-chan! We have always hated each other and suddenly you decide to like me? That's just crazy!”

He hugged his knees to his chest and sobbed in frustration. “What's wrong with me?”

Shizuo watched his outburst from a safe distance but when the first pathetic sound escaped the informant, the wolf rushed to his side and rubbed his cold nose against the man's head affectionately.

“Shizu-chan...” Izaya wept quietly and raised his head, his cheeks wet from the tears that had escaped his eyes. “I should kill you, you dumb protozoan.” He hissed but it didn't hold the same malice he had put in his voice for the other in the past.

The raven blinked at the wolf in front of him, fresh tears escaping him in the process. Shizuo hesitantly nudged his cheek before laying down next to him with his head in the informant's lap.

Izaya sobbed once again and started running his hands through the animal's fur. “I hate you.” He whined and let his head fall back against the brick wall. “I hate you so much for being nice to me. I never wanted that. I was fine with everyone hating me. Why? Why did you have to do this to me?”

Shizuo raised one giant paw and put it on the man's knee carefully as if to calm him.

“This isn't fair. I can't keep hating you if you're acting like that.” Izaya whispered more to himself. “But I can't like you either. If I did that...” He swallowed nervously and shut his eyes. “It might make me want to stay with you.”

The wolf in his lap kept leaning into his hand and nuzzled his chest from time to time as Izaya kept crying until he didn't have any more tears.

He felt like he was going insane.

A few days was all it took for him to feel something close to affection towards his former enemy and it scared him.

He loved humans. All of them equally.

How could he choose one over the others?

But Shizuo wasn't human. Izaya had always told himself that but he finally knew that he was right.

Did that mean it wasn't wrong to like him?

Or even love him?

No, he couldn't do that.

It was wrong.

So wrong.

That same thought kept running through his mind as the exhaustion of the last two days caught up with him.

No, he couldn't fall asleep in some dark alley. Who knew what kind of people would come by during the night.

He opened his eyes slightly and looked down at Shizuo once again. The wolf was breathing calmly as he watched their surroundings through half-lidded eyes.

Izaya sighed and accepted it as the darkness tried to pull him down again.

' _Shizuo won't let anything happen to me_.' A voice inside him whispered before he lost consciousness.

 


	11. Chapter 11

“Izaya...”

…

“Hey, Izaya...”

That familiar voice was the first thing he noticed as he slowly started to wake up. Then he realised that his head was leaning against a warm body.

And was that an arm around his shoulders?

Izaya slowly blinked his eyes open and frowned briefly as the small alley came into view.

It took him a minute to remember what had happened. When he did, he slowly raised his head and was faced with Shizuo, who was looking down at him.

Then Izaya's eyes started to wander over the blond's chest and abs and...

He had woken up to a naked Shizuo before but he hadn't taken the time to really _look_ at _it_.

“Oh my God” He heard himself whisper before he could cover his mouth with one hand.

That penis was huge!

Not that he had seen a lot in his life but Izaya was pretty sure that wasn't normal.

“Thanks” Shizuo laughed softly. “I appreciate it but would you mind handing me your phone so I can text Celty and ask her to bring me some clothes?”

The informant swallowed nervously and looked down at the blond's special piece again before nodding awkwardly and reaching into his pocket. That was when he realised Shizuo's arm was still around him.

Once Shizuo noticed Izaya's look, he quickly drew back. “I'm sorry.” He mumbled. “You were shivering when I woke up.”

The raven said nothing and simply handed his phone over while staring at his feet. Now that he had somewhat calmed down, he started to feel something close to regret.

How was Shizuo still so calm? The last thing he remembered was probably how Izaya was playing him so why wasn't he trying to strangle the other?

Eventually Izaya lifted his head again and glanced up at the blond, who was typing away on the phone in his hand.

“Shizu-chan...” The raven started. “About yesterday...”

“Izaya, don't.” Shizuo sighed. “When Celty comes here I'm going to ask her to cut the bond. I'm sorry. I should've let her do it yesterday. She offered to do it but I told her not to because I wanted to keep an eye on you.”

The informant raised his eyebrows. “What? Really?”

“Yes. Now I know that it was a mistake. You're not ready to accept any kind of affection.” The blond said matter-of-factly and finally faced him. “You won. I'll leave you alone from now on.”

“Huh?” Izaya blurted out with a confused frown. Shizuo wanted to leave him alone?

The brute was able to actually back off?

And why did Izaya feel panic well up at the thought?

“I lied.” He gasped. “I was only pretending yesterday. I wanted you to get angry and change because I...” The raven hesitated. “I had to go somewhere.”

That finally got Shizuo to react. His eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms angrily. “Where did you have to go?” He asked sternly.

Izaya suppressed the urge to flinch back at the almost threatening tone of his voice. He should've kept his mouth shut. Shizuo had given him a way out and that was what he had wanted, right? Then why couldn't he just keep his mouth shut?  
“I went to see Mr. Shiki.” He whispered before biting his lip nervously.

Shizuo's eyes widened and his anger disappeared almost immediately. “You did what?” He asked unbelievingly. “Are you out of your mind? He sent that guy after us! Are you okay? Don't tell me he tried anything!”

Izaya's eyes widened in surprise as the other grabbed his shoulders and looked him over.

“S-Shizu-chan! I'm alright.”

But Shizuo ignored him as he ran his fingers down the raven's arms slowly before one of his hands cupped Izaya's cheek, making the smaller man shiver.

“You lied to me so you could run off and try to fix this on your own?” The blond asked carefully as he searched the other's crimson eyes.

Izaya swallowed nervously and nodded. “You wouldn't have let me go.”

“You don't know that.” Shizuo sighed quickly and dropped his hand. “It would've been nice to actually be there in case something happened.”

“You were there.”

“Not really.”

Izaya looked away, the feeling of regret growing even stronger.

“And why did you tell me just now?” Shizuo asked suddenly. “You want me to leave you alone, right? Why not let me believe that you were playing me?”

That was a good question. Izaya felt bad. He had never felt bad after playing with someone's feelings before.

“You like having me around.” Shizuo chuckled suddenly, making the informant blink up at him in confusion. “You already let me see a glimpse of the real you and now your frozen heart is already starting to warm up.”

Izaya felt himself blush and jumped to his feet, clenching his fists at his side nervously. “Bullshit” He mumbled half-heartedly.

“You know I'm right.” Shizuo chuckled and leaned back against the wall, pulling his legs up to his chest as he watched the other. “Why do hold back like that? You're lonely. That much is obvious and I know that you don't hate me any more.”

“I don't know if I can do this for the rest of my life.” Izaya blurted out and turned to face the blond. “Yes, I left without telling you. I didn't want to tell you because I work better on my own. I don't need backup. You were still there because I wasn't able to get rid of you. And just so you know, Shiki sent an informant after us but only to get information on you and me. He never told anyone to hurt me so now I'm going to find out who that guy is.” Izaya paused and took a deep breath. “And he basically told me to get rid of you. He thinks I can't handle this. He thinks I can't handle you.” He whispered the last part.

Shizuo smiled sadly at him and and shook his head. “And since when do you believe what other people say. Especially if it's about yourself.”

Izaya glared at him and threw his hands in the air in frustration. “Stop it! Stop saying things that make sense!”

Suddenly Shizuo jumped to his feet and reached out to pull the raven closer by his coat. Izaya gasped as he stumbled towards the blond with his hands on the taller man's chest.

“Why can't you just let go for once and do what feels right? Stop thinking so much.” Shizuo sighed and reached up to run a hand through the other's dark hair.

“I'm not a mindless brute like you.”

“But you're human. No matter how much you try to deny it.” Shizuo dropped his hand until it was resting above the informant's heart. “And I think you know. Your heart knows what it wants but your head keeps getting in the way.” The blond smiled softly before bringing some distance between them again.

Izaya stared up at him with wide eyes. He wished he could deny it but those words hit way too close to home.

But he couldn't just let go like that. That was against everything he had ever known.

“It's okay if you need some time.” Shizuo told him. “I'll be waiting.”

The informant felt a weird ache well up inside his chest at the words. “Shizu-chan...” He sighed and a small smile sneaked onto his face. “Are you an idiot?”

Shizuo laughed at that and hesitantly reached out to hold his hand. “I may be an idiot but I know what I want and I'll get it in the end.”

Those words made Izaya blush and he looked down at their hands. “Y-you sound so confident.”

“I am.”

Even though they stood in some dirty alley in the middle of the city filled with people, it still felt like they were in their own little world.

Shizuo pulled slightly on their joined hands and Izaya took a step closer.

“Don't get your hopes up.” The raven whispered as he got up on his tiptoes.

“Shut up, flea.” Shizuo chuckled and leaned in to place a sweet kiss on Izaya's lips.

This time the informant did have to admit that a warm feeling started to spread inside him at the innocent touch. Shizuo used his free hand to caress his cheek again, his thumb mindlessly stroking the soft skin as he slowly started to move his lips.

Izaya couldn't help but let out a soft moan as he pressed closer so there wasn't any more space left between their bodies and Shizuo backed him up against the wall. The blond licked the other's bottom lip hopefully and Izaya parted his lips so their tongues could move against each other.

Suddenly, a familiar neigh let them freeze and Shizuo pulled back. A low growl escaped him as he turned his head and saw Celty step towards them.

She tilted her helmet to the side as the two still didn't move away from each other. Izaya started to blush again under her 'stare' while Shizuo calmed down again and smiled at the sight of his close friend.

“Hey Celty!” He greeted her. “You got my clothes? This is getting rather complicated.”

Izaya was sure his face had to be the colour of a tomato and he pushed at Shizuo's chest weakly. Once the blond brought some space between them, the informant quickly hid his face in his hands.

“I hope you know that I'm going to kill you for this.” Izaya groaned and shook his head.

“Yeah, you tried that already. Didn't work as well. I doubt it will now.”

“Shizu-chan!”

Shizuo chuckled and reached for the bag Celty held out for him with her helmet turned away. When both her hands were free again, she quickly got her PDA out. [You seem to be getting along just fine. Want me to break the bond?]

The blond quickly pulled his boxers out and put them on. Once his intimate parts were covered again, he stretched and read the message. “Well...” He looked down at Izaya and pulled the raven's hands away from his face. “Are you going to run off as soon as she cuts the bond?”

Izaya leaned back against the wall and bit his lip. “I-I...I don't think so.”

“Would you mind giving me a clear answer for once?”

“Uh, okay” The informant shut his eyes and took a deep breath. “I won't run off. I promise.”

Shizuo smirked and narrowed his eyes. “A promise from the great Izaya Orihara? It must be my lucky day.”

He turned to look at Celty again who was tapping her foot nervously. She just wanted to leave. The whole situation made her feel uncomfortable. She was glad they managed to get along but she never would've thought _this_ would happen.

“Fine, undo it.” Shizuo told her and she shook her helmet to herself before raising a hand.

The band appeared between them, seemingly thicker this time. The Dullahan stepped closer and grabbed it with both hands. Shadows rushed out of the black band and into her body before she simply ripped it in two. The two halves pulsed a few more times before disappearing completely.

Izaya looked down at his wrist in interest and rubbed the sensitive skin. Shizuo shook both arms and smiled at Celty. “Thanks”

[No problem. Can I go now? Please?]

The blond nodded and chuckled. “Of course. And seriously, thank you.”

She nodded and waved at Izaya before turning to leave.

Shizuo waited until she was gone and then reached into the bag to grab the rest of his clothes and get dressed.

“Who would've known the black rider could be that embarrassed?” Izaya laughed and pushed himself off the wall. “So that means we are free, right?”

The blond had pulled his pants up and was just fixing his zipper, raising an eyebrow. “Yes?” He said hesitantly and put on his shirt. Celty hadn't gotten anything fancy as Shizuo was dressed in simple blue jeans and a white t-shirt. She had even gotten him a pair of socks and sneakers he never really wore.

When his feet were covered as well he turned to face Izaya again. “Better?”

The informant shrugged and stepped forward. “It's not your usual bartender attire. I'm impressed.”

Shizuo watched as Izaya smiled up at him before trying to walk past him. The blond reached out to grab the other's arm quickly, holding him back. “And where do you think you're going?”

Izaya froze and looked at him over his shoulder. “Uh, home?”

The taller man hummed in thought and whirled the raven around so they were facing each other. “You just said you wouldn't run off again.”

“I am not. I do have a home though.”

Shizuo observed the informant's face as his wolf started to speak up in his mind.

' _Mate leave? No no no. Mate stay. Protect._ '

The debt-collector nodded to himself. Then, without warning, he wrapped an arm around Izaya's waist and threw the informant over his shoulder quickly.

“Wha- ” The smaller man cried and struggled weakly in the other's grasp. “Shizu-chan! Put me down!”

But Shizuo didn't seem to be in the mood to obey as he simply stepped back onto the street and turned left, back into the direction of Izaya's second apartment.

The raven kept struggling for a few minutes before he simply gave up and went limp. “Fine, do whatever you want. I don't care.”

“Oh?” Shizuo started, wishing he had a cigarette. “Whatever I want?”

And Izaya felt himself blush yet again. “N-not like that, you dumb brute! I swear if you try anything, I will cut you open and hand your body over to Shinra!”

The blond laughed at that and raised a hand to give Izaya's behind a little pat. With Shizuo's strength, it felt more like a slap.

“And what was that for?” The informant groaned but managed to seem unimpressed by it.

“Honestly?” Shizuo asked with a smirk. “I just felt like it. And I have to admit that I just really love your ass.”

Izaya sighed and rested his chin in the palm of his hand as he was being carried through the streets of Ikebukuro. He still didn't know if he was doing the right thing but since he didn't really have a choice, the informant decided to face his own demons and just roll with it.

Maybe the result might be one which he could be happy with as well.

And just maybe this man would be the end of all his nightmares and fears.

Maybe...

Hopefully...

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah it took me almost a week to update again because all the ideas I had just don't sound good enough so I'm having a bit of writer's block right now  
> This chapter is just a filler. It's short and it sucks. I'm so frustrated.   
> If you guys have any ideas please do tell me

“Good morning!” Izaya cheered sarcastically when yet another group of people stopped to stare at them. He was still lying over Shizuo's shoulder, who didn't seem to care about the people watching them.

A few kids jumped out of the blond's way, frowning at each other.

Izaya stuck his tongue out at them before smiling sweetly. “Better get going! You don't wanna be late for class!” He giggled. The kids froze before quickly running off. As soon as they were gone, Izaya's face fell and he rolled his eyes.

“Shizu-chan, this is getting ridiculous. Just put me down already.”

“Nah” The debt-collector grunted and reached up to pat the other's butt.

Izaya buried his face in his elbow and groaned. “Where are we going anyway?” He mumbled.

“To your place so you can get some clothes and stuff.”

The raven dropped his arm again and turned his head to look at Shizuo. “Oh? What for?”

“We are going to stay at your other place for a while.”

“Seriously? The Awakusus won't come after us and that informant isn't really a threat.”

“I don't care. We're not taking a risk.”

Izaya sighed and shook his head. “Shizu-chan...”

“Either you accept it or I'll ask Celty to redo that bond.”

The informant's eyes widened. “No! That's alright. I get it. I'm your mate and you gotta keep me safe.”

Suddenly, Shizuo grabbed him around the waist and put him down. Izaya stumbled and almost fell backwards at the unexpected movement but the blond still had a strong grip on his hips.

“Exactly!” Shizuo told him with a smile.

Izaya blushed and looked away. That was when he realised that they were already standing in front of his apartment building.

“Oh no...I totally forgot about Namie!” He suddenly gasped and quickly got his keys out to unlock the door. He rushed up the stairs and inside his apartment while Shizuo followed rather calmly.

“She's your secretary?” The blond asked as he kicked the door shut behind him.

Izaya looked around the apartment and nodded. “Yeah, I kind of forced her to work for me.” He chuckled as he stopped in front of Namie's desk. There was a note attached to the monitor. The informant pulled it off and read it out loud. “Dear Asshole. Since you weren't home and I wasn't able to reach you, I decided to take some paid vacation. P.S. I hope you're dead.”

Shizuo blinked a few times before he started to laugh, causing Izaya to glare at him.

“That's not funny, Shizu-chan!” He hissed. “I'll call her. Vacation my ass.”

When the raven got his phone out to look for the number, Shizuo stepped to his side and put a hand on his shoulder. “Why? Let her have some free time.”

Izaya lifted his gaze and if looks could kill, the debt-collector would drop dead on the spot. “Why should I?”

“Just try to be nice for once?”

The informant frowned at the thought. “Shizu-chan, I think we know each other pretty well by now and it's great that you still have faith in me, seriously, but that's not gonna happen.”

Shizuo rolled his eyes and took the phone from Izaya, who reached for it like a child who wanted his toys back.

“Hey! You brute! Give that back!” He whined but the blond had lifted the device over his head so the shorter man wasn't able to reach it.

“You know, when this is over, you should try to relax a bit as well.” Shizuo chuckled softly and stepped back. “You said you want to go to Europe. We could do that.”  
Izaya dropped his arms in defeat and raised an eyebrow at the other. “Are you for real?”

When Shizuo didn't answer and just watched the raven hopefully, he groaned and stomped across the room and up the stairs to his bedroom.

“You're completely nuts, you know that?” Izaya called as he opened his closet and pulled some clothes out. “You and me on tour in Europe? That's not gonna work.”

The blond looked after him wordlessly and slowly started climbing the stairs as well as Izaya kept rambling while aggressively pushing his clothes into a bag.

“A few days ago we were enemies and now you're asking me to go on a lovey-dovey trip with you? That's crazy!” He shook his head and pulled on the zipper to close it.

“Is that a yes?” Shizuo asked suddenly and smiled as he picked up the bag.

“What? Were you even listening to me?”

He nodded. “You're embarrassed.”

Izaya's eyes widened and he took a step back. “I am not embarrassed!”

“Sure you are.” The blond threw the bag over his shoulder like it weighted nothing and chuckled. “And I think you like the idea but you can't accept that simply because of who you are. You think you don't need anyone because you refuse to accept the fact that you are human and therefore you might end up liking someone. And you are, human that is. You are no God or whatever it is you picture yourself as.” Shizuo smiled softly while Izaya simply stared at him in shock. “But that's okay, you know? I still like you and I promise I won't leave.”

Izaya swallowed nervously and took another step back. “Don't say stuff like that.” He mumbled and wrapped his arms around himself.

“Why?”

The raven turned his head to look at himself in the mirror next to his bed. “I might just start questioning everything I ever believed in.”

Shizuo sighed and put the bag down again before slowly stepping closer to the other. The informant's mask was gone and all that was left, was a scared little boy. In all those years, Shizuo had never thought that there could be another side to his enemy but apparently, the real Izaya wasn't the monster he had fought. The only difference was that he had never tried to deal with all those feelings and instead had locked them away.

Shizuo stood between Izaya and the mirror, looking down at the raven. He reached out carefully to run a hand through those dark locks.

“What's going through that pretty head of yours?” He asked softly.

Izaya lifted his gaze and their eyes met. “That I don't know what to do.” He gasped honestly. “I can manipulate all gangs in Tokyo until they fight each other to death but I don't know how to deal with you. A few days ago...”

“You already said that.” Shizuo groaned and rolled his eyes. “Can't you just accept that things change? Look me in the eyes and say that you had the worst time of your life with me.”

The informant frowned and looked away. “I-I...it wasn't all bad.”

“See?” The blond beamed and grabbed Izaya's shoulders happily. “You plan everything right? Fine, tell me what's gonna happen if you and me actually work out. The best informant broker and the strongest man in town, together. No one would dare to come near us.”

Izaya chuckled and shrugged awkwardly. “I guess that's true.”

Shizuo beamed yet again and leaned down to bury his face in the other's hair affectionately. “Told you.” He sighed and shut his eyes. “So do you think you can give this a try without freaking out all the time? That's all I ask of you.”

Izaya didn't react right away. He just stood there, his face pushed into the blond's chest, and eventually, he shut his eyes as well and bit his bottom lip to stop a smile from reaching his face. “Alright, I'll try. For real.” He whispered.

They remained like that for a few minutes until Izaya started to struggle and Shizuo stepped back.

“You're not as dumb as I thought.” The informant said and grinned.

“I might not be very good with computers or illegal mafia shit, but I know how to read people.” Shizuo explained and winked which made the raven's face turn a dark shade of red immediately.

“A-are we leaving or what?” Izaya babbled and whirled around to flee the room.

The debt-collector shook his head to himself and grabbed the bag from the bed before following. “You know, that blush really suits you.”

“Shizu-chan, don't!” The raven whined from somewhere in the apartment and Shizuo couldn't help but smile to himself. He could get used to that.

He found Izaya by the door, tapping his foot impatiently. “By the way, where's my phone.”

“Oh, right.” Shizuo reached into his back pocket and pulled the device out, handing it to the informant. “But you won't get it back for free.”

Before Izaya was able to reply, Shizuo was already pushing him back and against the wall before pressing their lips together. The smaller man whined in surprise but eventually shut his eyes and let the other kiss him.

Shizuo pulled back quickly though and smirked. “Pleasure making business with you.”

Izaya huffed and turned his head away, a small smile on his lips. “Always”

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is short ... and late   
> but I think it's better than not updating at all.   
> I do have the plot for the rest of the story in mind already but it would be rushed if I started writing that already so have mercy on me I think I know what I'm doing heh

Izaya managed to suppress a groan as he glanced over the top of his laptop. They had gotten back to his second apartment about half an hour ago and since then Shizuo kept stomping around while putting their things away. The blond couldn't stop lecturing him frequently whenever he passed the couch.

“Next time you decide to run off on your own, I'll lock you up until you come back to your senses.” Shizuo grumbled as he once again stopped to look down at Izaya.

The raven rolled his eyes. He had to hold back his frustration. All he wanted was some time for himself so he could try to find out about the man who was after them.

“Shizu-chan, I get that you're worried, but even if I wanted to go out on my own again, you wouldn't know and therefore would not be able to lock me up, as you say.”

The debt-collector blinked at him and crossed his arms across his chest. “So what? You gonna try again?” He barked dumbly and narrowed his eyes.

Izaya sighed and decided to ignore him, looking down at the screen again and clicking through the information he had found on the matter.

“Mind answering me?” Shizuo hissed. When Izaya still refused to say a word, the blond stepped over to the couch and sat down next to him. “What are you doing anyway?”

The raven flinched and turned his head to look up at the other. “I'm trying to find out who that Tsukuda guy is.”

Shizuo leaned over to see for himself but when he didn't understand a word, he simply nodded. “Right”

“So, mind leaving me alone for a while?”

The blond hummed and observed Izaya as he started typing. A few minutes later he stopped and his eyes narrowed and Shizuo thought that Izaya probably had problems reading without his glasses. It did look rather adorable when the smaller man leaned in and squinted at the text.

“You hungry?” Shizuo asked eventually and Izaya looked up at him with raised eyebrows. “I mean, we haven't had breakfast yet and it's already past noon so I could get something to eat and you could work in peace.”

Izaya chuckled and placed his laptop on the coffee table carefully before sitting down again, facing Shizuo with his head resting in the palm of his hand. “I want Otoro.”

Shizuo grimaced at that. “But that's expensive. What about some fast food?”

The raven pouted and moved closer to the other. “But Shizu-chan, that's unhealthy.” He purred and reached out to run his hand down Shizuo's chest. “I really want some sushi. Don't you want to make me happy?”  
A blush reached the blond's face and his eyes widened.

“Shi-zu-chan~ ” Izaya giggled and caught the taller man off guard by wrapping his arms around the blond's neck. “You asked me to give this a try. I am trying.” He explained innocently. “Don't you take this seriously?”

“I-I...” Shizuo stuttered. He hated to admit that when Izaya pouted at him, those beautiful eyes wide, he would do anything the other asked. “Otoro, right. Anything else?”

Izaya beamed triumphantly but didn't move just yet. “Some coffee maybe? Or you could just buy a coffee machine and some food for later. You can cook, right?”

As the words sank in, Shizuo finally managed to break out of his trance. He glared down at Izaya. “You think I poop money or something?”

The raven sighed and moved away, jumping to his feet. Shizuo couldn't help but stare at the informant's behind as he danced over to the entrance and reached into the pocket of his jacket, pulling his wallet out. “Don't worry, Shizu-chan. My treat.”

Shizuo barely managed to catch it as Izaya threw the item at him without warning.

“That should be enough for sushi, a coffee machine and some groceries.” Izaya told him while stepping over to the couch again, grinning down at the other.

Shizuo jumped to his feet and looked down at the wallet in his hands before facing the raven. “Uh, thanks.”

“No need to thank me. I'm simply too lazy to go out myself.” He chuckled. “Well, it's not like I'm allowed to anyway.”

The blond huffed and watched the other's innocent expression before wrapping his arms around the smaller man without warning, making him let out an adorable squeak.

“I'll lock the door from the outside. You stay here and don't let anyone in, okay?” Shizuo whispered and tightened his grip slightly.

Izaya froze in his grip, not sure how to react. “I'm not going to die, you know.”

“You better not. Otherwise I would have to go to hell myself to get you back.”

The raven couldn't hold back a laugh from escaping him at that and he slowly wrapped his arms around Shizuo as well. “You think I'm going to hell?”

“Of course, you're the most rotten person I know.” Shizuo chuckled softly and drew back to face Izaya.

“If I'm so rotten, then how do you manage to keep up with me suddenly?”

“You know how.”

Izaya lowered his head and nodded to himself. “Right. You wouldn't like me otherwise.” He mumbled so Shizuo barely understood the words. The informant's arms dropped and he took a step back.

“What? I...” Shizuo didn't know how to continue. Izaya was right, in a way. Even if they did in fact make a good pair, without his wolf he wouldn't have realised it. They would've hated each other for the rest of their lives. “Izaya, listen...”

The raven remained silent and plopped down onto the couch again, reaching for his laptop, seemingly ignoring the other.

“I'm not gonna lie and say that I would've fallen for you at some point without a push into the right direction.” Shizuo started nervously. “But you wouldn't have either.”

Izaya looked up at that, his eyes holding no emotion at all.

“I don't regret it though. I'm glad it happened.” The blond explained. “And I honestly think that you're the only person able to handle my moods.”

The informant rolled his eyes at that but a small smile broke through his facade. “You're so cute I wanna throw up.” As soon as the words left his mouth, his face turned a dark shade of red and his eyes widened. “I mean, you just make me wanna throw up. I feel sick.” Izaya grimaced and slid deeper into the cushions to hide behind the screen of his laptop. “Please leave.”

Shizuo watched him and started to laugh. “Likewise, Flea.” He stepped over to the couch. Izaya looked up at him with wide eyes and didn't move when Shizuo leaned down to place a gentle kiss on the raven's forehead. “Be careful, okay? If you find out who that guy is, call that Yakuza guy and let him handle it.” He pleaded softly before stepping back again.

Izaya swallowed nervously. He felt like his voice would fail him if he tried to use it so he decided to nod in agreement instead.

Shizuo smiled and held the smaller man's wallet up. “Good” He chuckled. “I think it's time you loose some money. I'll be back soon.”

Izaya simply nodded again and waved shyly as the debt-collector opened the door and left. Once he was gone, the raven placed the laptop on the coffee table again and let himself fall face forward onto the couch, burying his face in his hands.

“Stupid Shizu-chan!” He whined, his legs wriggling in the air. He probably looked like a love-struck teenage girl but he didn't care. Izaya had never felt like that. The warm feeling flowing through him was completely new to him and he had to admit that it wasn't unpleasant at all.

He turned his head to the side, blinking the room into view. Izaya couldn't wait for Shizuo to come back so they could eat together. Yes, he loved Otoro but he was also already looking forward to Shizuo cooking for him in the future. No doubt, he was sure the blond could cook.

Slowly, Izaya's eyes moved over to his laptop again.

He had to admit that he might actually end up enjoying Shizuo's presence at some point. Some dumb psycho werewolf will not destroy that.

Izaya sat up again and grabbed his laptop.

No, he wouldn't let that happen.

He would find out who the guy was and then make sure that he would never come near them again.

Even though most people were sure of it, he had never actually been involved in someone's passing. He never had a reason to. He loved humans and enjoyed playing with them. Killing them off wouldn't make sense.

But Izaya might just make an exception for this guy.

A smile appeared on his face as he clicked through the info he had found.

The man wasn't human anyway.

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT'S THIS?!   
> I MANAGED TO UPDATE!  
> Wooooooooooooooow  
> I won't apologise because that's kind of pointless. I'm still sorry though. Whoops.   
> For a while there I didn't really know where to go with this story. I didn't know whether to choose the simple and fluffy way or the darker one. Guess which one I chose :D  
> Don't know when I'll be able to update next.   
> See ya!

Shizuo left the store with a plastic bag in hand. Inside were a coffee machine and some groceries so he would be able to cook for the both of them later. He was actually glad to have some time for himself to think.

He still didn't know if Izaya was taking the whole thing well or not. The informant could still be playing with him, for all he knew.

His wolf was happy though so Shizuo would take what he could get.

“Excuse me? Do you have a minute?”

The blond whirled around at the voice. He was sure he knew it.

At first he didn't recognise the man standing in front of him but then it clicked and his eyes widened.

Shin Tsukuda.

“You!” Shizuo growled, his eyes narrowing at the man.

The other simply smiled politely and bowed a bit. “I see you remember me. I'm glad.”

“Sure, I do. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip your head off.”

Mr. Tsukuda dropped the smile and sighed dramatically. “Really, it's sad. I am not your enemy, Shizuo.” He stepped closer. “But let me give you a reason. I will explain everything to you if you're willing to listen.”

Shizuo felt the well-known anger rush through him. It would be so easy. The guy was right there. He could crush him and all of this would be over.

On the other hand though, he wanted to know what this guy had in mind.

“So? What do you say?” Mr. Tsukuda asked and took a step back.

Shizuo's hands balled into fists and he took a deep breath to calm himself. “Five minutes.”

The man turned around and started walking. “That's more than enough.” His face showed a wicked grin that went unnoticed by Shizuo.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Izaya was in his own little world as he clicked through the mass of information. He had contacted a few underground dealers who he thought might know something about the subject and they actually had some very interesting information to share for the right amount of money.

It was a number Izaya was willing to pay for the right kind of info.

He didn't know what to expect when he clicked on the files he received in his next e-mail after agreeing to pay the price.

It consisted of personal descriptions of several people. Everything was in Russian, but Izaya was able to understand most of it.

At first he thought he might've gotten into another case of slave trade but as he got deeper into it, he realised that it wasn't exactly that.

Those people, some male, others female, some older, others younger, all had one thing in common. All of them had been chosen as the mate of a werewolf. There was a column holding information of said werewolves. Name, nationality, rank...

Izaya's eyes widened.

Shin Tsukuda didn't want to kill human mates. He kidnapped them. What for, he didn't know yet, but he was sure it was either for experiments or to sell them off.

Izaya was ripped out of his thoughts by a knock on the door. He looked up in shock before frowning. Was Shizuo back already? No, he had given the blond a key.

The informant slowly put the laptop down and got off the couch. For a second he simply stood there before he rushed to grab his coat and a bag for his laptop. He shoved it inside and slid the backdoor open. He ran outside and looked up at the wooden wall separating this garden from the next one. After crouching down briefly, he jumped up and grabbed the top, quickly heaving himself up, ready to swing his legs over and jump down.

Suddenly, someone grabbed his ankle and yanked him down, making him drop his bag in the process. He let out a pathetic whine and hit the ground hard.

“And where do you think you're going?” A deep voice asked and Izaya blinked up at a rather build and tall man wearing a suit. “The boss wasn't lying when he said you were pretty for a guy. Good for you, your face will stay as it is.”

Izaya pushed himself up onto his elbows, ready to throw some sarcastic remark his way, when a cloth was pressed to his face from behind.

' _Shit, I didn't notice the second guy._ ' He thought, internally hitting himself for being so stupid.

The cloth smelled like chemicals and Izaya tried to hold his breath for as long as possible, but when one of them kicked his side, he gasped in shock, breathing in.

Then everything happened quickly. His lungs burned and black dots started to dance in his sight.

“You think we're allowed to have some fun before we hand him over?”

“Nah, do you really want something one of those animals touched before. That's disgusting.”

“Yeah, you're probably right.”

Izaya grimaced and shut his eyes. Before they knocked him out for good, he barely managed to slide one of his rings off his finger.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Mr. Tsukuda lead Shizuo to a nearby park and calmly sat down on a bench, folding his hands in his hands after motioning for him to sit down.

The blond huffed but did so eventually.

“So, you gonna talk or what?” He barked and glared at the guy.

Mr. Tsukuda chuckled and nodded. “I see you are quite impatient.” He looked down at the bag Shizuo had put down on the ground. “Orihara still hasn't pushed you away. That's interesting. I bet he sees some kind of advantage in your current situation.”

Shizuo couldn't hold a growl back from escaping. “Tell me what it is that you want.”

“What I want? I simply want to help poor souls like yourself.” He started with a smirk. “You see, I know how you feel. I went through it as well. The first time my wolf chose a mate it was a pretty lady. One of our own. We were happy together.”

The debt-collector raised an eyebrow at the man. He couldn't remember asking the guy's life story.

“It didn't last though.” Mr. Tsukuda continued. “She died. Cancer.” He sighed. “After that, I though I wouldn't find anyone else. She was the love of my life. I was wrong though. A year later my wolf chose someone else. A human this time. She was nice enough and I really enjoyed her company. One day I decided to tell her but once I did she ran off after telling me that she couldn't do it. It was too much for her. It was hard and I really tried to stay away from her but eventually my wolf forced me to go see her. When I did though, I witnessed her getting mugged. I tried to help her but the guy had a gun and he used it in the wrong moment. He shot her. She was dead instantly. I was devastated at first but after a week I noticed that I felt lighter. Like a weight was lifted off my chest. She was gone and I was free again.” He chuckled, his eyes following a couple walking by. “She wasn't the last one though. Another one followed a few months later. Another human. This time I didn't even try to get close to her but I still felt that familiar pull and it was driving me crazy. I decided I had to do something so I asked around and I found a solution.”

Shizuo still glared at him but waited patiently for him to continue.

“Did you know that you can claim someone without them being your destined mate and your wolf will accept it?” He looked up at Shizuo and smiled when he noticed the other's surprised look. “Exactly. I didn't know either. Apparently there are certain organisations offering mates to those who don't want to wait for their destined one. Some of us pay good money for the right person. Especially Russians. Most of the werewolves there have several mates. Others like to have a collection. Those chosen by someone in the past are valued more than those who weren't. Apparently not everyone is suitable for one of us.”

Shizuo was still staring at the man, trying to make sense of his words. Mr Tsukuda sat up straight and watched him interestedly. It seemed like forever until Shizuo felt a shiver run down his back at the realisation. He jumped to his feet and stumbled back, staring at the guy.

“You...you sell humans to werewolves?” He asked in shock.

Mr. Tsukuda nodded proudly. “Exactly” He got up as well and looked up at the blond. “People like you and me don't need the emotional pain a human mate causes but if someone out there wants to take them in, I say why deny it? They help us, we help them.”

Shizuo started shaking his head and a growl rose up deep in his chest as his eyes narrowed and his fist shot out instinctively. Mr. Tsukuda jumped out of the way in time and laughed.

“You're not taking Izaya!” Shizuo barked and turned to face the man, ready to aim another punch.

“Oh?” The man chuckled and reached into his pocket, getting his phone out. He looked down at it, seemingly reading a message. “It's better this way, believe me.”

Shizuo glanced down at the phone before glaring at Mr. Tsukuda again. “What have you done to him?” He stomped towards him. “This is a trap!”

“Of course, it is!”

Shizuo acted quickly and reached out, grabbing the man by the neck and lifting him off his feet. “You tell me where he is right now and I swear, if I see one little scratch, I'll rip you open and pull out your guts. I promise it will be painful.”

Mr. Tsukuda simply smirked down at Shizuo. “Like I'll tell you anything. I already have a buyer. Your sweet mate is getting me a shitload of money.” He laughed breathlessly. “I guess some of us like to put the bossy ones into place.”

Shizuo growled and threw the man into the next tree with all the force he could bring up. Mr. Tsukuda coughed at the impact and Shizuo heard a disgusting cracking sound before the body fell to the ground.

The blond stepped over and crouched down next to him, rummaging through his pockets until he found the man's phone.

Even in a situation like that, he didn't want to become a murderer. He just hoped that the guy's phone would help him find Izaya. Shizuo got up and threw a last kick at Mr. Tsukuda before whirling around and walking off. He got his own phone out and sent a message to Celty.

“ _I need your help. Pick me up at the secret apartment in twenty minutes?_ ”

About five minutes later, he received an answer.

“ _Of course! I'll be there. Don't do anything stupid_.”

He sighed and picked up his pace. In a perfect world, he would arrive just in time to get Izaya out of there but he knew that wasn't the case.

Soon he started running, reaching his destination in less than ten minutes. He fiddled with the keys nervously.

“Izaya?” He called as he managed to push the right key inside and open the door.

Shizuo rushed inside and looked around. The couch, Izaya's usual spot, was empty, just like the kitchen, bathroom and the bedroom. The debt-collector groaned and reached up to pull his hair in frustration.

' _Danger! Mate! Danger!_ ' His wolf whined.

“I know!” Shizuo barked and dropped to his knees. “I know...”

He had never asked for a mate, especially not Izaya. He had managed to accept it though, promising to protect him but he wasn't even able of doing that.

Izaya wasn't an ideal mate. He wasn't sympathetic or loving or _nice_ , but that dumb little flea was _his_ dumb little flea.

A knock made him flinch and he dropped his hands from his head to look over his shoulder. “It's open. Come in.” He called and soon Celty stepped up to him.

She crouched down and typed a message before showing it to him and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

[What happened? Where's Izaya?]

Shizuo sighed and shook his head, slowly getting up again. “He's gone.”

Celty tilted her helmet to the side.

[Gone?]

“Yes, they took him. It's worse than we thought.” He started to explain. “The guy who attacked us, he kidnaps human mates and sells them to the highest bidder.”

Celty froze as if staring at him before typing away frantically.

[They kidnapped Izaya and plan to sell him off?!]

Shizuo simply nodded and looked around the room again, trying to come up with an idea. “I have the guy's phone. I bet Izaya would be able to track the messages.”

Celty simply nodded and they stood in silence for a while until she held up a hand and pushed past Shizuo, heading for the garden. The blond frowned after her and she pointed at the slightly open door.

“Outside? You think he managed to get away?” He asked and followed as Celty stepped outside. She inspected the ground and even looked up at the roof. Shizuo was about to punch the wall beside him when she crouched down, reaching for something hidden in the grass.

“What is it?”

She got up again and turned around to show him. One of Izaya's rings. Shizuo's eyes widened as he slowly held his hand out for her to drop it in his palm.

[You were right. They took him. Otherwise he wouldn't have left this.] She showed him and he nodded.

“Well, yeah. I still don't know how to find him.”

She scratched the back of her helmet and both of them flinched when a voice reached them.

“Hello? Someone on the other side?”

Shizuo glanced at his friend and stepped over to the wall separating the garden from the next. “Uh, yes?” He replied and frowned when a hand appeared above it.

“Is this yours?” A male voice asked.

Shizuo reached out and took the bag. It took him a second to realise that, yes, this was Izaya's bag and his laptop was inside. “Yes! Thank you so much!”

“No worries! It hit my flowers!” The voice sighed but Shizuo didn't care. He rushed over to Celty and pulled the laptop out of the bag.

“This is Izaya's!”

She looked down at it and clapped her hands together in relief before typing again.

[I bet he wanted to take it with him! So he knew they were coming. Whatever he found, it must be important.]

Shizuo nodded and put it back inside before holding the bag to his chest protectively. “Let's go to your place to check it out.”

[Shinra's home though.]

“I guessed as much.” He threw the bag over his shoulder and slipped the ring onto his pinky, since his fingers were too big. “It's time to tell your crazy doctor friend about the existence of werewolves.”

[You do know that he will freak out.]

“I know, but he might also be able to help. He's in touch with the underground population of the city.”

Celty nodded and rushed back to her bike. Shizuo followed after her, his hands balled into fists.

He would find Izaya and if anyone tried to stop him, he wouldn't be able to hold back. For the first time in his life, he couldn't wait to unleash the monster.

 


	15. Chapter 15

Izaya slowly regained consciousness. His head hurt like hell and his arms felt stiff. It took him a few seconds to realise that they were bound behind his back. He groaned and blinked a few times, noticing that he was in a completely dark room. The ground beneath him was cold, making him shiver.

He glared into the darkness and struggled against the handcuffs. “Hey!” He hissed. “You stinky strays!” His voice echoed off the walls but nothing happened.

He sighed and leaned his head back against the wall.

The whole situation wasn't really to his liking already, but the fact that he knew what they had planned for him made him feel even more anxious. There was no doubt that they wanted to sell him off like a worthless slave.

“Fucking werewolves.” He mumbled to himself and shut his eyes again. “Fucking Shizu-chan...”

He just hoped that Shizuo would come and find him. Izaya chuckled softly and moved his legs up, close to his chest. If there was one thing he was certain of, then that Shizuo wouldn't give up. Even if Izaya had told him to get fucked and deal with his problem on his own, that brute would still come and rescue him.

“Shizu-chan...” He whispered. “That's gonna be quite a show.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

Shinra stared at them, looking from Shizuo to Celty and back.

“You mean to tell me that Shizuo is a werewolf.” He said carefully, pointing a finger at the blond. “And Izaya got kidnapped by other werewolves who plan to sell him off and because he's Shizuo's mate, we need to save him?”

Shizuo glanced at Celty before nodding at the underground doctor. “That pretty much sums it up.”

Shinra kept watching them with wide eyes before he slowly turned to look at his girlfriend. “And you knew about this and never thought I might be interested in knowing as well?”

Celty froze and got her phone out, ready to type an answer but Shizuo held a hand up to stop her.

“It's not her fault. I asked her to keep it a secret from you.” He told Shinra, who narrowed his eyes.

“Why?”

“Because I know that you're totally getting off on the idea of cutting me open right now.”

“I would never...I mean...” Shinra paused and looked away. “It would be awesome but I know that's not what friends do, so I won't. I do want some blood though.”

“You can do whatever you want to me if you help me find Izaya.”

“You've got yourself a deal, my friend.” Shinra cheered and beamed up at his friend before his face fell again. “I don't really know what you expect from me though.”

Celty nodded and typed quickly.

[You're an underground doctor. Don't you have a few contacts that might be helpful?]

Shinra read it and hummed to himself, putting a finger on his chin in thought. “It's not like I knew before but I'm pretty sure I never patched up a werewolf. Shizuo heals pretty quickly, so I bet that's a werewolf thing.”

The blond groaned and let himself fall back onto the couch. “Great, so you have no idea who could help us?”

“I never said that. There's one person who might know something about it.”

“Who?”

“Mr. Shiki”

Shizuo looked up at that. “Wait, the guy Izaya works for?”

Shinra nodded.

“He's a werewolf too.”

“Seriously?” His friend whined. “How did I not know about this?”

[Don't beat yourself up over it.] Celty showed him and her shoulders shook like she was laughing.

“He might actually help us.” Shizuo mumbled. “I know he's not taking sides but he might want his best informant back, right?”

 

~ ~ ~

 

They decided to leave Shinra at home for obvious reasons. The underground doctor was still freaking out and the two could barely keep him from calling his father to tell him as well. Shizuo didn't know the man very well but if he had to guess, he would bet that Shinra's father knew about the existence of werewolves.

Since Celty worked for Mr. Shiki occasionally as well, she knew where to find him. That weird art gallery. Shizuo knew he had been to the place with Izaya but he only remembered waking up in an alley nearby.

[Please try not to freak out in case he won't cooperate.] Celty pleaded as they got off her motorcycle.

Shizuo crossed his arms across his chest and huffed. “I can't promise anything.”

Celty dropped her shoulders as if in defeat but eventually nodded. [Let's hope for the best.] She held onto the bag strung over her shoulder tightly and started leading Shizuo inside. The bag contained Izaya's laptop. They just hoped that Mr. Shiki could make sense of it all.

Almost immediately, two men walked towards them once they entered the building.

“Courier” One of them greeted. “I don't think your work is needed at the moment. What is the reason for your visit?” The man narrowed his eyes and glanced at Shizuo, who stepped forward and looked down at them.

“Tell your boss that his informant was kidnapped.” He told them bluntly and they exchanged looks before one of them nodded and ran off, probably to tell Mr. Shiki.

It didn't take long for him to come back though. The man motioned for them to follow wordlessly and Shizuo glanced at the second guy before doing so.

They were lead along a narrow hallway and eventually stopped in front of a door. The man opened it and stepped aside so they could enter.

It was a small room with bare walls. Two couches and a coffee table sat in the middle. Mr. Shiki got up and put on a fake smile.

“Mr. Heiwajima. I believe we haven't met yet.” He greeted and held a hand out.

Shizuo rolled his eyes but after a nudge from Celty he took the man's hand and shook it briefly.

“Please, sit.” Mr. Shiki said and motioned to the couch across from him. Shizuo did as he was told and Celty nodded in greeting before doing the same.

“So this is about Izaya, right?” The yakuza boss asked and leaned back.

“Yes, someone kidnapped him. Probably that informant guy who attacked us. You already know about that.” Shizuo mumbled and pulled the laptop from the bag, pushing it over to the man. “Take a look at what he found.”

Mr. Shiki raised an eyebrow but nodded briefly before opening the laptop. The screen lit up immediately, showing the documents Izaya had found.

Shizuo had taken a quick look at it as well but gave up after he realised he couldn't read it.

“It's Russian.” Mr. Shiki mumbled, scrolling down interestedly.

“Can you read it?”

“Indeed, I can.”

Shizuo glanced at Celty, who showed him two thumbs up.

“These are different files. All of them are about human mates.” Mr. Shiki started. “It looks like they are planning to sell them off.”

“That's what the guy told me as well. Is there any information on how to find him though?”

“It's not like they have a shop or something. Their transactions are done in the underground. Most slave traders act the same though. He's probably chained up in some dark basement room of a random warehouse somewhere in Tokyo. Maybe they even drugged him so he won't cause any problems until his buyer picks him up or he is delivered to them.”

Shizuo couldn't help but bare his teeth at the man in front of him. Izaya, chained up, drugged and alone. The thought made his wolf go crazy, desperate to break through and go berserk.

“And how do I find him?” He growled, his eyes starting to glow.

Mr. Shiki looked up at him, noticing the change as well. He smirked and shut the laptop. “I have no idea. To be honest, this is the first time I hear about this mate trading business, which is a bit shocking. I tend to know about all illegal business in town.” He sighed and shrugged. “But why did you come to me if you already know what they are planning to do?”

Shizuo reached forward and grabbed the laptop to put it into the bag again. It was still Izaya's and he would want to have it back. “You know how those people work and where.”

“Well, I don't know in this case.” Mr. Shiki chuckled and shook his head.

Shizuo slammed a fist down on the table, the wood cracking beneath it. “Do you think this is fucking funny? Don't you care at all? He is your best informant! He trusted you enough to come talk to you even though he was told that you sent someone after him!” He yelled. Next to him, Celty put a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him, but it was no use. Shizuo pushed her away and glared at the man again.

Mr. Shiki didn't seem shocked. He observed Shizuo boredly before leaning forward slowly and narrowing his eyes. “I didn't mean to insult you. I just don't understand why you come to me if you already have the power to find him.”

Shizuo blinked at him dumbly. “Huh?”

“He is your mate, right? Even if you haven't claimed him yet, your part of the bond is strong. All you need is his scent.”

“I...I may seem like a monster but even I have a normal sense of smell like this.”

“I know, but your wolf doesn't.”

The debt-collector finally sat back again and groaned. “Yes, because I can control it.” He huffed.

“You don't need to. Your wolf isn't stupid. It may be you reduced to its basic instincts but it knows that its mate is in danger. If you were to change right now it would freak out, desperate to find Izaya.”

“I can't let it out. It's already going berserk in my head.”

“So what's the problem?” Mr. Shiki asked with a smirk. “Let it go berserk.”

Shizuo's eyes widened. Next to him Celty started typing. [I might be able to hold it back.]

While Mr. Shiki's attention was on Celty, Shizuo stared ahead. He could feel his wolf. It was trying to come out and he was barely able to keep it at bay.

No, he couldn't just let it out. There would be a massacre. Instead, he shut his eyes and shut out his surroundings, desperately trying to reach out to his wolf calmly.

 _'Calm down...'_ He pleaded. _'Please, I need your help.'_

 _'Mate! Danger! Danger!'_ It growled, not paying attention to Shizuo at all.

_'Shut up! Listen to me!'_

_'Mate! Mate!'_

_'I know! We need to find him! You and me! Together!'_ Shizuo yelled at the presence in his head. _'Don't shut me out. I'll let you break through but don't push me away. We need to be quick. No rampage. Izaya needs us.'_

His wolf remained silent. Shizuo frowned and tried to reach out again. Nothing.

 _'Hey! Don't you dare ignore me!'_ He hissed. _'If you let me in, I can find him.'_

There was a whine somewhere in the back of his mind. _'Mate...'_ It howled.

_'Yes. Izaya. I can save him. But only with your help.'_

At first his wolf didn't react. It was way too quiet in his head. Then, all of a sudden, it started howling, making Shizuo flinch in shock.

_'Izaya...Izaya! Mate! Izaya!'_

Shizuo groaned and reached up to bury a hand in his hair. His wolf knew Izaya's name? Up until now his vocabulary had been reduced to 'mate'.

 _'Save Izaya...'_ His wolf whined once more before it went quiet again. Shizuo's head stopped throbbing and he dropped his hand, blinking up at Mr. Shiki, who was watching him interestedly.

“I believe you found your solution.” The man said and smirked. “You should take your leave now.”

Shizuo jumped to his feet and took a deep breath. He felt weird, like someone opened a door inside his head. His senses were sharpened. He could hear someone talking in another room, the fabric of the couch moving against Celty's clothes as she got up. There was this smell in the air. Another wolf. Mr. Shiki tilted his head to the side when Shizuo looked at him once more.

“Don't do anything stupid. I am no threat to you.” The yakuza member chuckled as he got up as well. “Just another alpha going about his business.”

Shizuo nodded slowly and clenched his jaw. It was loud. Footsteps, voices, doors creaking. He had no idea how it worked, but somehow he had the sensitive senses of his wolf.

“Thank you” He mumbled, though it sounded more like a growl. Celty nodded at him and stepped over to the door. Shizuo followed quickly.

“Bring him back in one piece and tell him to take some time off once he's back.” Mr. Shiki said and Shizuo simply nodded before opening the door, almost ripping it out of it hinges in the process.

He stomped along the corridor and Celty ran after him quickly. [Are you okay?]

Shizuo glanced down at her phone briefly. “Yes”

She tilted her head in question and started typing again. [Your eyes are glowing.]

“I know.”

They left the building and Shizuo groaned. The world was loud and there were too many smells around him. It was too much, almost forcing him to his knees.

Celty noticed the change and rushed to his side again, holding him upright when he started swaying.

“I'm okay...” He gasped and shut his eyes. Now that he had the power to find Izaya, all he needed was to find his scent.

[What is going on?] Celty nudged him and held the phone in front of his face.

“Give me the laptop.”

She froze and watched him as if to ask what he was talking about.

“Celty, I need his scent. He uses his laptop every day. It smells like him.”

It took a second before she crouched down to reach into the bag and get the laptop out. She opened it and held it out for Shizuo.

The blond looked around briefly. Several people were looking at them in confusion but he decided to ignore it, leaning forward to take in the smell. Like he had hoped, it smelt just like Izaya. The scent seemed to linger in the back of his mind, burning into his memory, and when he opened his eyes, he almost thought he could see the different scents around him.

“Celty, drive me back to the apartment. I should be able to trace it from there.” He told her. Once all of this was over, he would apologise to her for ordering her around and expecting too much, but for now he couldn't care about it. He didn't know how much time he had to find Izaya.

Celty nodded and put the laptop away again before jumping on her motorcycle. Shizuo sat behind her and shut his eyes, trying to block out everything around him.

 _'Thank you'_ He whispered to his wolf but there was no reply. Once Izaya was safe, he would ask him to buy a nice steak for his next full moon.

But first, Shizuo had to find him.

And destroy everyone involved.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Izaya jerked awake when a loud noise disturbed the silence in his small prison. He blinked his eyes open and groaned when light poured into the dark room.

The door was open.

Someone was coming.

Footsteps came closer and Izaya looked up slowly. A tall man stood above him, grinning down at the informant like a madman.

“It's almost time, human.” The man chuckled menacingly. “Let's wash that wolf's smell of you so you're presentable.”

The man crouched down and reached behind Izaya to undo the handcuffs before pulling him to his feet roughly. The informant stumbled backwards and when the other tightened his grip, he hissed in pain.

“Don't fuck around. Come on.” The man growled.

Izaya watched his face briefly before lowering his head. His hair fell into his face and he couldn't help but smile.

“What's so funny, huh?”

The raven giggled and looked at the man through his bangs. “I just imagined the face you'll make once Shizu-chan slowly pulls the limbs from your body.”

The man glared at Izaya and pushed him into the wall, leaning in close. “And I wish I could see your face once you're taking the cock of some Russian bear.”

Izaya grimaced at the foul breath hitting his face and once the man pulled back again, he lifted his head and spat into his face. “Let's see who's laughing in the end, you dirty stray.”

The werewolf growled and rubbed his face clean. “You fucking brat!” He barked, his hand slipping and hitting Izaya across the face.

The informant gasped, his head snapping to the side.

“Whoever bought you is going to have a lot of fun breaking your spirit.” The man laughed, gripping Izaya's hair and pulling his head back to look at him. “That's going to bruise, hopefully after we sold you.” He shrugged and chuckled, gripping the raven's arm harshly and pulling him out of the room.

Izaya stopped resisting and stumbled along. It would be useless to resist. There were probably too many werewolves around. Sure, he was skilled, but he didn't have a weapon and they would only end up catching him and beating him up even worse.

' _Please, Shizu-chan. Hurry._ '

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. It's not much but at least it's something.   
> I know I used to update all the time but finals are coming closer and I can't seem to concentrate at all so it's extra hard. Also, I want to be honest with you guys, I kinda started shipping Klance so that's where my main focus is at the moment. I still love Shizaya and I plan on finding an end for this fic soon. I hope it'll live up to your expectations.   
> I'm not happy with this chapter at all but I didn't want to put the focus on Shizuo going on a rampage and everything ending in a bloodbath. That's not what I'm here for heh.   
> So yeah. Try to enjoy it :)

Izaya had his arms wrapped around himself protectively.

They had stripped him off his clothes and sprayed him with cold water. His cheek hurt like hell, his wrists were red from the handcuffs and his muscles were aching. He felt so useless.

“Dry yourself. We don't have much time.” The werewolf behind him growled, throwing a towel at the raven.

Izaya flinched when it hit his back and looked over his shoulder, glaring at the man.

“You either do it yourself or I can do it for you but that won't be very comfortable.”

The informant huffed and slowly turned around. He crouched down and grabbed the towel, slowly rubbing it over his skin while his body was still shaking. The werewolf was watching him closely, a smug grin on his face. “See? It's not that hard to follow orders.” He chuckled.

Izaya sent another glare his way. He didn't want his other cheek to hurt as well so he tried to suppress his anger.

Once he was dry, he dropped the towel and crossed his arms, raising his chin. “What now?”

The man held a bundle of clothes out wordlessly, his eyes daring Izaya to make a wrong move. The informant hesitated briefly before taking them. He glanced up at the man again and when it didn't look like he was planning to give him some privacy, Izaya observed the clothes.

They consisted of a simple grey tank top, which looked way too big for him, and a pair of black shorts. No socks, no shoes, no underwear.

He considered voicing his confusion, but decided against it.

“Hurry already. They are waiting.”

Izaya froze and locked eyes with the werewolf. He had thought he would have some more time. He could only hope that Shizuo was on his way already.

“You're planning to sell me off wearing these?” He asked, raising an eyebrow in question. “Doesn't seem very professional.”

The man rolled his eyes and stomped closer to Izaya, glaring down at him. “Stop trying to get out of this. Get dressed or you're going naked. Does that sound a bit more professional?”

Izaya flinched and lowered his head, glaring at the bundle in his arms. He took a deep breath before forcing himself to swallow his pride and put on the clothes.

Once dressed, he crossed his arms again and raises an eyebrow at the man. “I'm ready. Let's get this over with.” He sighed and raised his chin again, stomping towards the werewolf who grabbed his arm forcefully to pull him out of the room.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Celty stopped her bike and Shizuo jumped off the vehicle immediately, taking in the building in front of them. They were in an old industrial area outside of town, standing in front of what seemed to be an abandoned hotel. It must've been rather fancy once.

Shizuo felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to look at Celty, who held her phone up. [This is it?]

The blond nodded and looked up at the building again. “I followed his scent. He has to be here.” He mumbled and started walking towards the entrance. There was nothing indicating that there were other people around, but a slave trading business would probably try to remain in the shadows.

Celty rushed after him and when they reached the door, she stepped in front of Shizuo, putting a hand on his chest to stop him. Shizuo frowned at her.

Suddenly, shadows rushed out of her hand and into the building through the cracks underneath the door. They remained like that for a while before she dropped her arm and nodded, pushing the door open.

Inside, there were two bulky men on the floor, black shadows wrapped around them, making them unable to move. Shizuo stopped to look down at one of them. “Izaya Orihara. Is he here?” He barked and kicked the guy's side lightly.

The man glared up at him, struggling briefly before nodding.

“Good”

Celty stood in the middle of the hall, her arms crossed. Shizuo walked over to her, looking in every direction and trying to pick up Izaya's scent again. Eventually, he started moving again, ending up in front of a door. He pushed it open, revealing stairs leading up and down.

“Downstairs. The basement.” He told Celty and she nodded, pushing past him to knock out anyone who might get in their way.

Shizuo wondered why she did it. Probably so he wouldn't end up killing them as soon as he spotted them.

They wandered down the stairs, always listening for noises. Izaya's scent was getting clearer by the minute and Shizuo was getting impatient. All he wanted was to go on a rampage until he found his mate.

They reached the bottom of the stairs, a narrow hallway in front of them. It was cold and musky around them and Shizuo grimaced at the smell of other werewolves, probably other alphas around. No one came out to stop them though. They would smell him soon though.

“Celty, when we find him, I need you to hold me back.” He told his friend, who turned to look at him. “The most important thing is to get him out of here and as much as I want to kill everyone involved...” He hesitated and shook his head to himself. “We should just hand them over to Shiki so he can deal with them.”

Celty nodded slowly and patted his shoulder. He showed her a weak smile and pushed past her to locate Izaya.

They passed several closed doors and Shizuo would stop at some but ended up shaking his head before heading farther down the hallway.

At the end, they turned right, facing a large door. Shizuo looked up at it and clenched his fists. “He's in here.” He whispered.

Inside, he was close to freaking out. Since his wolf had partly taken over his senses, his instincts desperately wanted to take over, to rush in and turn everyone into a puddle of blood who even dared to look at Izaya.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Izaya was kneeling on the cold ground.

They had brought him into some kind of chapel. He still had no idea where he was but he guessed it wasn't one of the usual old warehouses.

He raised his head. The tall man standing above him refused to address him directly and instead only talked to the other werewolf who had handled Izaya before. About four other werewolves stood by the door but he had his back to them. He felt like an object, all rights stripped away.

Where was Shizuo?

“I mean he is pretty but I don't see that spirit I was told about.” The man said with a Russian accent. “I thought he wasn't trained.”

The other man glanced down at Izaya and narrowed his eyes. “He isn't. I promise. He put up quite the fight before I got him here, talked back and all. I think you'll have fun.”

Izaya turned his head away when the Russian crouched down in front of him. The man grabbed his chin roughly and looked him over. “Okay, fine. We have a deal.” He told the other werewolf before grinning at Izaya. “I'll have a good time breaking you.”

The informant narrowed his eyes and jerked his head free from the other's grip. “I'd love to see you try.”

A large smile spread across the guy's face. “That's what I wanted to see.”

Everyone flinched when the door opened with a bang. The Russian jumped to his feet. The man beside him glared at whoever just arrived.

Izaya slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder and couldn't help but smile when he spotted a familiar head of blond hair. “Shizu-chan!” He cheered. “I knew you'd come.” He laughed, almost falling backwards in the progress. Then he faced the two men above him again. “Now the real fun begins, you motherfuckers.”

Both men frowned and looked at Shizuo like it was some sort of joke.

“I didn't know you had other bidders.” The Russian laughed and grabbed Izaya's arm roughly to pull him to his feet.

Shizuo looked around the room briefly before he spotted Izaya, who gasped at the harsh grip on his arm. The blond huffed and looked over his shoulder to Celty. She stepped to his side and pointed at the other werewolves overlooking the whole show. Black shadows rushed towards them before they even realized what was going on and soon they were wrapped darkness, unable to move.

“Thanks” Shizuo grumbled and started stomping towards the men in the centre of the room. “Now I'd like you to stop touching him.”

The Russian raised an eyebrow in amusement as he pulled Izaya to his side. “And why should I do that?”

Shizuo stopped right in front of them and a low growl echoed through the room. The werewolf who had been watching the whole scene in shock, slowly stepped away. “That's his alpha, I think.” He babbled and flinched pathetically when Shizuo sent a glare his way.

The Russian didn't seem to be impressed at all. He observed Shizuo and shook his head to himself. “Is that so? He isn't even marked yet. I take it you're not very good at what you're doing.”

The last word barely left his lips when Shizuo reached out, grabbing his arm to pull it away from Izaya. The man cried out and the disgusting sound of cracking bones could be heard. Izaya flinched away, holding his aching arm with his free hand as he watched Shizuo pulling the other man close. “I asked nicely, didn't I?” He roared and changed his grip so his fingers wrapped around his neck, lifting the large man off the ground.

“I-I didn't know...” The Russian gasped but Shizuo tightened his grip to shut him up and faced the other werewolf who was still frozen in place.

“I take it you haven't heard from your boss. If I were you, I'd change businesses. The yakuza in town aren't very fond of slave trading that isn't on their radar.”

The werewolf just kept staring at him in shock and Shizuo shrugged. A second later, black shadows wrapped around him as well.

The Russian in his grasp started struggling and gasping for air and Shizuo brought his attention back to him. “And you, if you ever so much as look Izaya's way, I swear you won't have anything to look with any more.” He hissed and pulled the man even closer, his face turning blue.

“Shizu-chan!”

Shizuo froze and slowly turned his head to look down at Izaya.

“Let's go. Let Shiki deal with this.” The raven pleaded, his eyes wide as he took in the other's appearance. Shizuo's eyes were glowing and every time he spoke it sounded more like an animalistic growl than anything human.

“We can't just let him get away!” The debt-collector barked and glared at the man in his grip again.

“Shizuo!” Izaya whined and stepped closer slowly. “I want to leave. Now. Please.”

Shizuo froze when the other didn't call him by that humiliating nickname like usual. “Izaya...”

“Please” Izaya whispered and carefully reached out to touch Shizuo's arm which resulted in him immediately releasing his grasp on the man, who started gasping for air.

Izaya pulled the blond aside and searched his face. “What's going on?” He asked anxiously, his usual confidence suddenly blown away.

Shizuo looked down at Izaya, his senses still overlapped by those of his wolf. He took a deep breath and quickly wrapped his arms around the raven instinctively. “Nothing” He whispered and shut his eyes, letting himself slowly calm down by his mate's scent.

Izaya remained silent and returned the hug reluctantly. They stayed like that for a while, their surroundings suddenly unimportant.

“I knew you'd find me.” Izaya chuckled after a while, his face buried in the other's neck. “After all, you always find me.”

Shizuo nodded and tightened his grip slightly as he slowly felt his wolf draw back, leaving him with his human senses and mind. “I was so scared.” He gasped as he finally drew back to take in Izaya's appearance. “What the hell did they force you into?” Izaya looked down at himself and attempted to wrap his arms around himself but he froze when Shizuo's hand came up to cup his cheek. “Not that it doesn't look good on you.”

Izaya smirked and leaned into the touch. “Let's talk about that later.” He finally dared to look around the room. “And we should really inform Shiki. I don't feel like dealing with this.”

Shizuo nodded and glanced over to Celty who was waiting patiently by the door. She nodded and got her phone out.

“Great. Now I want some otoro followed by a real bed.” Izaya demanded, blinking up at Shizuo innocently.

The blond laughed softly and crouched down, lifting the other up into his arms easily. “Whatever you want.”

Izaya thought about struggling but decided against it. He wrapped his arms around Shizuo's neck and shut his eyes, simply enjoying the feeling of strong arms holding him.

“Whereto? Your place?” Shizuo asked as he started moving.

Izaya smiled softly and blinked up at him briefly. “Our place.”

 


End file.
